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David Pakman Host of The David Pakman Show
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Courts must end special treatment for criminal Trump

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David Pakman Host of The David Pakman Show
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A New York appeals court reduced Donald Trump’s bond payment from $464 million to $175 million on Mar. 25. The reduction came after Trump had already been allowed significant delays in numerous court cases. The former president faces a total of 91 felony criminal charges and could theoretically face a prison sentence of over seven centuries if convicted on all counts.

Straight Arrow News contributor David Pakman says this latest olive branch is just another example of how Trump unfairly benefits from the two-tiered justice system in the United States. Pakman argues that if Trump were any ordinary citizen, he’d have already been imprisoned and would now be awaiting his trials from behind bars.

Trump has benefited from the two-tier justice system in multiple ways. First of all, most defendants, me, you, most of you–depending on who’s listening, right–we would not be out on bond if we had four different serious criminal trials in four different jurisdictions with 91 felony counts against us and access to a private plane. We would be rightly deemed flight risks. And we would probably be held without bond awaiting trial in jail. Trump got the benefit of the two-tier justice system and doesn’t have that [sic] what’s going on.

Secondly, Donald Trump got the benefit of violating gag order after gag order after gag order in multiple courts from multiple judges where he was told, ‘Don’t speak publicly about the staff of the court, don’t speak publicly about the prosecutors, don’t try to indirectly speak to the witnesses and [sic] send the messages through public social media posts.’ And Trump violated gag order after gag order with no serious penalty whatsoever. If I were to do that the number of times Trump did it, if you were to do it, we would probably have our bond revoked and we would be extensively fined. So it is yet another way in which Donald Trump has benefited from the two-tier justice system.

Let’s talk today about the real two-tier justice system. As Donald Trump has faced trials and tribulations, literally and metaphorically, the Right, including in particular the MAGA Right, has insisted we have a two-tier justice system that they believe falls along party lines, meaning one set of justice principles for Democrats and one for Republicans. And what I want to argue today is that we do have a two-tier justice system, but it is a two-tier justice system for elites and the rich and everybody else. And it’s actually a two-tier justice system from which Trump has benefited rather than been victimized.

 

So let’s zoom out a little and understand that since the beginning of Trump’s legal problems, civil problems, criminal, etc. he and others have been insisting that he is being targeted by the Biden DOJ, that Joe Biden is behind the indictments against him, that the judges are in cahoots with Joe Biden, that the prosecutors are in cahoots with Joe Biden, that Joe Biden, despite supposedly being so demented he doesn’t know what day it is, is running some kind of massive criminal enterprise and also directing various jurisdictions to prosecute Donald Trump. How both of those can be true, I don’t know. But importantly, there’s no evidence whatsoever, none, none at all, that Joe Biden has had any involvement with any of the prosecutions of Donald Trump.

 

In fact, early on, when he would be asked about it, he would say “I’m not even getting I’m going to I’m going to comment, the justice law enforcement, they got to be independent. I’m not even getting involved.” It would frustrate people that Biden didn’t get involved. So there’s no evidence Trump has anything to do with it. But I want to make a different case.

 

It’s not just that the two-tier justice system doesn’t fall along party lines. It’s not just that the Democratic establishment and Joe Biden have not been linked to any of Trump’s legal troubles whatsoever. Trump has benefited from the two-tier justice system in multiple ways. First of all, most defendants, me, you, most of you, depending on who’s listening right, we would not be out on bond if we had four different serious criminal trials in four different jurisdictions with 91 felony counts against us and access to a private plane. We would be rightly deemed flight risks. And we would probably be held without bond awaiting trial in jail. Trump got the benefit of the two-tier justice system and doesn’t have that [sic] what’s going on.

 

Secondly, Donald Trump got the benefit of violating gag order after gag order after gag order in multiple courts from multiple judges where he was told, don’t speak publicly about the staff of the court, don’t speak publicly about the prosecutors, don’t try to indirectly speak to the witnesses and [sic] send the messages through public social media posts. And Trump violated gag order after gag order with no serious penalty whatsoever. If I were to do that the number of times Trump did it, if you were to do it, we would probably have our bond revoked and we would be extensively fined. So it is yet another way in which Donald Trump has benefited from the two-tier justice system.

 

Just a couple of weeks ago, Trump was facing a deadline where he needed to come up with $450 million in cash for bond. And he was insisting I can’t do it, I can’t do it, I can’t do it. We’re gonna seize your properties. They told him I can’t do it. I can’t do it. It’s not fair. And then appellate court found at least in the immediate, that they were going to give Trump 10 additional days to come up with the money and reduce the amount of money he has to come up with by more than 60%. Again, most people don’t get that benefit. So there is a two tier justice system, and it’s one in which Trump and people like him benefit from special treatment that most of us would not get. Now when it comes to the forthcoming trials. What are we to expect? I have absolutely no idea. I think it has the potential to get very nuts. One of Trumps Trump’s first criminal trial is scheduled to start April 15, will it? I don’t know. Because something always seems to happen. Trump saying he wants to have it delayed and lawyers will argue for a delay. So I don’t know what to tell you as far as whether it will start. But it certainly might. And I would expect tirades from the failed former president. I would expect personal attacks on all sorts of individuals involved with the proceedings. And I would expect the continued argument that this is all completely unfair. shouldn’t happen when he’s running a campaign is directed by Joe Biden. And it’s also unfair. Now one last thing. Trump always argues that the timing is wrong. When he was president, he said you can investigate me or prosecute me or indict me because I’m president. Then it was well, I might be running for real for election in 2024. Then it’s now I’m a candidate for 20 24 So you can investigate indicted prosecute now either if he were to win, he would say now I’m president again. So you also can’t go after me. Now, there’s always a reason why the timing is wrong. Hopefully, the courts and judges will be strong enough to say you’re not getting any more special treatment. We’re moving forward, whether that’s the case remains to be seen.

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