Reason # 83: Donald Trump – Felon
Why do we need to defeat Donald Trump and ensure that a Democrat occupies the White House?
Republicans have repeatedly, over many years, supported policies that prevent persons convicted of committing felonies i.e. felons, from being allowed to vote.
https://www.npr.org/2022/10/25/1130622918/felon-voting-state-laws-disenfranchisement-rates#:~:text=Why%20can’t%20felons%20vote?%20An%20estimated%202%%20of%20the%20U.S.
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That all changed in an instant on May 31, 2024, when a New York jury returned 34 felony guilty verdicts against Donald Trump.
https://www.npr.org/2022/10/25/1130622918/felon-voting-state-laws-disenfranchisement-rates#:~:text=Why%20can’t%20felons%20vote?%20An%20estimated%202%%20of%20the%20U.S
He was convicted on 34 felony counts of filing false financial statements. This is ordinarily a misdemeanor, but when the statements are filed to assist in the commission of another crime, they rise to the level of a felony. The other crime in question was a cover up to prevent adverse information on his sexual liaison with a video porn star from harming his chances in the 2016 election. He thus became the first U.S. President ever convicted of a felony
How would this potentially affect the 2024 election? Felons cannot own a gun or vote or hold office in many states. Because Trump is a resident of Florida, he is not prevented from voting there.
https://apnews.com/live/trump-trial-jury-updates-day-2#:~:text=Donald%20Trump%20became%20the%20first%20former%20president%20to%20be%20convicted
https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/elections/2024/donald-trump-is-convicted-of-a-felony-heres-how-that-affects-the-2024-presidential-race/#:~:text=NEW%20YORK%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20Having%20been%20convicted%20of%2034%20felonies,
,
The specifics of this complex plot are itemized in “The Trump Indictments, The Historic Charging Documents with Commentary” by Melissa Murray and Andres Weissman.
“The defendant DONALD J. TRUMP repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election”
The Grand Jury first accused Trump of falsifying business records in the first degree. Second, the defendant falsified the records with “intent to defraud and intent to commit another crime and aid and conceal the commission thereof”. The next 32 indictments followed along these same lines.
The false documents in question were a series of checks signed by Donald Trump stating that they were payments for legal services to Michael Cohen, Trump’s lawyer, confidant and “fixer”. In fact, the money was intended to pay off Stephanie Clifford, AKA Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougald, who had been Trump’s mistress for ten months. The scheme involved David Pecker, the CEO of AMI (the National Enquirer) who would “catch and kill” three stories by paying the women for the exclusive rights to the salacious stories, but never publish them. Trump Organization CEO Allen Weisselberg collaborated with Cohen and Pecker in this enterprise.
Cohen had been convicted and had served three years in jail for his role.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/cohen-face-sentencing-campaign-finance-violations-lying-congress/story?id=59738100#:~:text=A%20federal%20judge%20in%20Manhattan%20has%20sentenced%20Michael%20Cohen,%20President
Weisselberg was also convicted and served a shorter sentence.
https://apnews.com/article/weisselberg-trump-perjury-new-york-b76cde56c6cb983ab8789f95d5a0c6c0#:~:text=NEW%20YORK%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20Allen%20Weisselberg,%20a%20retired%20executive%20in
“The payment records, kept and maintained by the Trump Organization, were false New York business records. In truth, there was no retainer agreement, and Lawyer A was not being paid for legal services rendered in 2017. The Defendant caused his entities’ business records to be falsified to disguise his and others’ criminal conduct.”
And
“”The defendant orchestrated a scheme with others to influence the 2016 presidential election by identifying and purchasing negative information about him to suppress its publication and benefit the defendant’s electoral prospects,” the indictment’s Statement of Facts asserts. “In order to execute the unlawful scheme, the participants violated election laws and made and caused false entries in the business records of various entities in New York.””
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65181178
Justice is supposedly blind but you wouldn’t know that from following how Donald Trump uses high priced legal talent to file motions and appeals that delay his requirement to pay fines and to undergo sentencing. Will he have to serve jail time for these felony convictions? We will not know until after the election.
If you are soft on crime and foolish enough to vote for him, he might win and be able to pardon himself.
Have a heart; use your mind, search your conscience, and vote for Democratic candidates – across the ballot – on November. 5th.
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Why have I committed to posting 100 Reasons NOT to vote for Donald Trump? Because I do not have time to post 10,000.
Fred Grannis
October 8, 2024