1 year ago
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Donald Trump was arraigned Tuesday on 37 federal criminal charges relating to his refusal to return classified documents he took when he left the White House. That is the inescapable reality, but Trump is doing everything he can to distract from it and turn it into a rallying point for his supporters and a fundraising boost for his campaign … or whoever the money ends up going to.
At his court appearance, Trump was treated with extreme deference: He didn’t have a mugshot taken, there were no travel restrictions imposed, and he didn’t have to surrender his passport. He is allowed to have contact with other people related to the case as long as they don’t discuss the case—and that’s on the honor system. Trump and other Republicans have claimed that there are two systems of justice, with him facing the harsher one. But everything about his treatment Tuesday showed the real differences between how the justice system treats powerful people and the average criminal defendant.
Following the court appearance Trump headed to a restaurant and bakery filled with his supporters, leading CNN’s Jake Tapper to call on his network to cut away from the event, saying, “I don’t need to see any more of that. He’s trying to turn it into a spectacle and into a campaign ad. That is enough of that. We’ve seen it already.” Trump was in no way done with turning it into a spectacle and a campaign ad, though. Tuesday night he made a speech to supporters at his Bedminster golf club, spewing out lies and grievances and attacks.
