Michael Shannon, a political commentator and columnist for Newsmax, told Sputnik that he believes the investigation into Trump's handling of classified documents and alleged obstruction of justice is part of a larger politically-motivated scheme designed to prevent the former president from running for his old seat in the 2024 election.
“This is all part of the process to indict Trump and make it difficult — if not impossible — for him to run for reelection,” Shannon asserted. “The entire investigation, raid on Mar–a–Lago and subsequent developments are entirely political and constitute a genuine attack on democracy.”
Shannon pointed to classified documents that were found at US President Joe Biden’s Delaware home and at the Biden Penn Center in Washington, DC, as evidence that the Mar-a-Lago investigation is politically driven.
Earlier reports revealed that documents had been retrieved from the garage area of one of Biden's homes, a development that later saw the president joke that they were secured along his beloved Corvette.
“Joe Biden is a Democrat and therefore his classified documents are a mere oversight and not the foundation–shaking treachery Trump’s documents represent,” Shannon said.
The commentator added that while classified documents were also found in the possession of former US Vice President Mike Pence, "the left doesn’t view him as a threat to Biden, the Pence documents are also no big deal.”
However, Shannon warns liberals that their attempts to stop Trump may end up saddling them with a president they like even less.
“The goal is to make it impossible for Trump to win the presidency again, but success for the left could well turn out to be a Pyrrhic victory. If Trump doesn’t run, that makes it much more likely that Gov. Ron DeSantis will be the nominee for Republicans.”
According to Shannon, DeSantis would be a more formidable opponent in 2024 and in a potential 2028 contest because he would “be a much more effective president” than Trump.
As for how the case will go, Shannon insists it depends on where the trial is held, something that remains an open question.
"A Washington, DC jury will be happy to give the death penalty to Trump, just as we saw in New York," Shannon said. "A Florida jury will be less likely to convict. I’m betting the feds will be trying their best for a DC jury."