To the Editor:

The tragedy that is Donald Trump is almost Shakespearean. A man who has avoided responsibility for his many personal, business, and constitutional transgressions, is also such a “stable genius” that the indictment evidence is largely his own words. Many of the witnesses are former Trump advisors and allies sworn to tell the truth.
The 49-page indictment, available on-line, contains 37 counts against Trump and co-conspirator Walt Nauta, and is stunning in its specificity and includes quotes, not just allegations.

Trump involved his attorney, Evan Corcoran, in unwitting, possible criminal liability himself, thereby piercing the attorney/client privilege and increasing his own vulnerability. Hardly King Lear, but his inability to recognize and honor any truth beyond his own self-interest will conjure disaster.

The indictment does not cite unknowing or accidental possession of classified documents as criminal, but concludes that Trump’s retention and refusal to return all the documents after repeated assurances and a warrant, moving boxes to avoid discovery, and lying to the FBI about it, constituted “obstruction of justice.” Violation of the Espionage Act occurred in willful retention of national defense information which was found at Mar-a-Lago. And there are tapes.
According to a report from the Washington Post, Trump’s allies were stunned when the indictment was much more detailed and damning than expected, and clearly showed that there would have been no significant issue if Trump had simply listened to his lawyers.

Trump, ever the victim, predictably whined that he is being “persecuted like the world has never seen.” He attacked law enforcement and claimed political conspiracy and oppression, and “election interference.”
The far-right media exploded with calls for violent retaliation and abandonment of the rule of law. I am not going to repeat here the anti-democratic expressions of hate and threats of terrorist brutality I read. We will see what happens at the arraignment on Tuesday in Miami.

Clay Higgins (R-LA) tweeted, referencing military-grade maps and alluded to taking over “bridges” before the arraignment. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) tweeted, “We have now reached a war phase. Eye for an eye.” His Republican colleagues remained predictably silent.

Trump will have his day in court as does any defendant, unless he takes a plea deal to avoid incarceration. But that would require admitting crimes, something someone with Narcissistic Personality Disorder cannot do.
Except for blame, everything else is his: women, crowd size, storm projections, elections, classified documents, legal expertise, reality.

Kelly Scoles,
Fillmore, Ca