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Even CNN balked at Bragg’s nothingburger, that comes with a reported possible 136 years in prison

April 5, 2023 | | Print Article

Former President Donald Trump is facing a whopping 136 years in prison on charges of falsifying business records, despite a wide range of Trump haters, including several CNN contributors, believing that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has grossly overreached.

Take, for instance, former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe. Even he, a former federal law enforcement officer turned CNN contributor, was left underwhelmed by Bragg’s ostensible case against Trump.

“I if I had to characterize [how I feel about the case], it’s disappointment. I think everyone was hoping we would see more about the direction that they intend to take this prosecution — what is the legal theory that ties that very solid misdemeanor case, 34 counts of misdemeanors, to the intent to conceal another crime, which is what makes it a felony?” he said Tuesday.

“It simply isn’t there. Now, it’s possible that the D.A. has an elaborate and solid theory that’s backed up by a lot of evidence, and he has just decided to conceal that at this point. That would be a strange decision on his part. But nevertheless, I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt. At the end of the day, if all of our legal friends read this indictment and don’t see a way to a felony, it’s hard to imagine convincing a jury that they should get there,” he added.

Listen:

Falsifying business records is typically a misdemeanor offense in New York and elsewhere. But to really stick it to Trump, Bragg sought to upgrade all 34 misdemeanor charges to felony charges by proving the former president had falsified business records with the intent to conceal another alleged criminal offense.

Also speaking out against Bragg’s case has been former Trump administration official turned turncoat John Bolton.

“Speaking as someone who very strongly does not want Donald Trump to get the Republican presidential nomination, I’m extraordinarily distressed by this document. I think this is even weaker than I feared it would be,” he said Tuesday on CNN after the indictment against Trump was publicly released. “I think it’s easily subject to being dismissed or a quick acquittal for Trump,”

“I can say there is no basis in the statutory language to say that Trump’s behavior forms either a contribution or an expenditure under federal law. The two key definitions at issue here, if it did, it would mean that every single expenditure a candidate made could be taken to have something to do with his campaign. Do I buy a $1 comb to comb my hair or a $10 comb to comb my hair? If you can construe the statute to cover this behavior, then I think it violates the First Amendment because you’re deeply in the territory that makes this statute too vague for enforcement,” he added.

Listen:

Next up was CNN contributor Carrie Cordero. Speaking with Jake Tapper, she said Bragg’s case against Trump is “a little underwhelming.”

“It is what I thought it was going to be, in terms of focusing on the payments that were made the falsification of the records in really tied to the payment that was made to Stormy Daniels. In terms of a case that’s being brought against a former president, it’s a little underwhelming,” she said Tuesday.

“There’s not more to it. There’s not more violations, tax violations. There’s not an incredible new set of facts that we didn’t know about publicly. It’s really the facts of this case, as they have existed for basically almost seven years,” she added.

Listen:

Sen. Mitt Romney, another known Trump hater, has also come out swinging against Bragg’s indictment.

“I believe President Trump’s character and conduct make him unfit for office. Even so, I believe the New York prosecutor has stretched to reach felony criminal charges in order to fit a political agenda. No one is above the law, not even former presidents, but everyone is entitled to equal treatment under the law. The prosecutor’s overreach sets a dangerous precedent for criminalizing political opponents and damages the public’s faith in our justice system,” he said in a statement Tuesday.

“The charges and evidence will be duly considered and the outcome decided by a jury with an obligation to fulfill its responsibility with the utmost care and impartiality. The American voters will ultimately render their own judgment on the former President’s political future. Finally, it is also incumbent on all elected leaders to discourage violence and anger in response to this situation,” he added.

Vivek Saxena
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