A Second Indictment

Documents stored
in a Mar-a-Lago
bathroom

Last Thursday a grand jury in Florida indicted Donald Trump on 37 counts of keeping classifed documents, hiding them after a subpoena searching for them, lying about them, and showing them to others who did not have security clearance.  Trump will be arraigned in Miami tomorrow and is expected to plead "not guilty." 

 President Biden and the former vice-president Pence were also found to have  classified documents at their homes but they cooperated with officials and did not lie about their presence.  They are not being charged.  

Trump's valet, a Mr. Nauta, is also being charged for helping the former president move the document boxes around his home Mar-a-Lago and lying about his help.   Documents were found in a store room, a bathroom, a bedroom and a ballroom stage. Some were spilling out of boxes.  Some files labeled classified were empty.  

Crowds are expected at the courthouse tomorrow so security will be strong.  The former president is insulting Jack Smith, the special prosecuter,  (I won't even repeat his words!) and claiming it is a witch hunt.  I hope there will be no repeat of the violence of January 6.    

This makes two arraignments for Trump in recent months with the potential for at least two others in Georgia and Washington DC.  Those potential charges seem to me to be more serious--influencing an election and inciting violence--but some say this one is more likely to be provable.  Trump's attorney gave significant information which led to the charges.  A few attorneys have resigned from representing him. 

-------------It occurred to me that I could watch the arraignment live on TV right now--at 2 pm Tuesday.  But I have absolutely no desire to watch that event.  It will be bad enough to watch the highlights on the evening news.  It is just all so sad.  We pray for our country and for good leaders.  At least the debt ceiling crisis was averted and Congress was able to agree on that issue.