Letter:  Trump, A Private Citizen, Must Be Held Accountable For His Crimes

Believing himself King, Donald Trump has never respected the democratic process, nor has he had an allegiance to America’s constitutional government. He was long in non-compliance to return unauthorized, illegally-removed classified government documents, some so top secret and sensitive that they cannot even be described. These belong to the US government. He’s been known to remove or destroy documents, violating the Federal and Presidential Records Acts. National security is at issue. Recall that Trump destroyed the translator’s notes from his Helsinki meeting with Putin (shamefully siding with Putin over American intelligence!). He likely has “compromat” on politicians to make them compliant, a dark skill learned from Putin and Epstein. As mafia dons know, blackmail makes for loyal sycophants; he seems to have many, too frightened to do anything but pledge allegiance to Trump.

This week, government functioned! There was no break-in, no raid at Mar-a-Lago. Trump has long been giving the finger to the National Archives. In order to secure a warrant, the FBI required fresh evidence of a crime; a federal magistrate, also finding probable cause, signed off. A warrant was duly issued. Christopher Wray, Trump’s own appointed FBI head, is not working for the Democrats. What is unique is that the rigorous challenge of getting a legal warrant is the same for President or private citizen; the law is the same for all.

Ever entitled, ever the victim, Trump will almost certainly use this “attack” as the latest chance to rile up the base, to revel in his woundology, to set the stage for new vendettas, and undoubtedly, to fund-raise. Anyone seeing conspiracy under the bed is projecting what Trump has done for years – to politicize, target enemies, personalize, and weaponize any act in furtherance of his own interests, legal or not, the law be damned. Donald Trump has never understood democracy, the need to operate within the law, or that we have a treasured Constitution – he’s seen the Presidency only as a giant opportunity to grift – and he still does. For Cult-45ers who blindly worship him despite his criminality, it must seem unimaginably naive that our government upholds a value that no person – even a former President – is above the law. The rest of us – those not in his thrall – merely wonder which of his many potential crimes he will be indicted for.

Dinah Kudatsky

Dinah Kudatsky is a resident of Amherst