Student opinion: Fight for “Bragg”ing rights – Alvin Bragg’s attempt to see Trump arrested
On March 18, Fox News dropped some of the most shocking news of the year by reporting that former President Donald Trump was expected to be arrested the following week. Trump confirmed rumors on his Truth Social account, writing that his expectation was to be arrested the Tuesday of that week. The charges were expected to be in connection to a 2016 payment of “hush money” to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
Many on the right, including Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy and Florida Gov. and potential 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, have slammed the potential indictment. At publishing time, Trump has not yet been arrested, and grand jury deliberations have been delayed several times. Speculations from sources like Fox and New York Post say Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg, the prosecutor bringing the case against Trump, is without key witnesses and strong evidence.
The case revolves around a $130,000 payment to Daniels made in 2016 by former Trump attorney Michael Cohen. Bragg claims that Trump reimbursed Cohen for the money, illegally listing the payment as a legal expense. While this crime is typically only a misdemeanor, Bragg could possibly charge Trump with a felony, considering that at this point, Trump would have lied through his taxes when he claimed the money as legal fees.
However, the case took a brutal hit on March 20, the day before the anticipated arrest, when former Cohen aide Robert Costello testified before the grand jury. In his testimony, Costello railed Cohen’s credibility, calling him a “serial liar.” Costello also testified that Cohen negotiated the settlement on his own and received no money from Trump to cover the expense, rather opting to take out a loan to cover it.
Costello’s testimony does serious damage to Bragg’s case, leaving him without a star witness. If Bragg chooses to continue the case with Cohen, he is committing serious ethical violations. If he goes on without Cohen, he is going to have to figure out something serious to keep this case from being dead on arrival.
If Trump is indicted in a case with no credible key witnesses and no strong evidence, it will be one of, if not the single most, shameful acts in our criminal justice system, leaving a black eye on our country for decades to come. The image of Trump in handcuffs, being brought before a judge for arraignment, would be a defining image of early 21st century politics, one that would bring shame upon this era. This investigation is politically motivated, meant to take down a party front-runner for the 2024 presidential race.
Regardless of your view on the former president, it’s easy to see that this indictment is not being done in good faith. If Trump were guilty of a serious crime, I would be among the first to call for him to be brought to justice and encourage others to do the same. What we are seeing now is not justice — it is a partisan witch hunt that all who believe in justice should be quick to condemn.
Hughes is an opinion writer for the Liberty Champion. Follow him on Twitter