The Continuing Struggle for Truth
Chris Christie exits, Trump melts down (again) and Judge Engoron faces more threats
Chris Christie was far from a perfect messenger: He endorsed Trump in 2016 and never fully broke with him until the Jan. 6 insurrection, not to mention his own failings such as Bridgegate in New Jersey when he was governor. But Christie was the only Republican presidential candidate who had the honesty and the guts to tell the truth about the extreme danger of Donald Trump retaking the levers of power.
“I got into this race because I felt like no one was making that case,” Christie said in an NPR interview last September. “No one was willing to take the case directly to Donald Trump as to why he—and, through his conduct—had disqualified himself for ever being president of the United States again…I think it's important not only for my party, but for our country.”
It was an attitude and commitment that he sustained right through until Wednesday when he dropped out of the race before the first primary. “I would rather lose by telling the truth than lie in order to win,” Christie said. “And I feel no differently today because this is a fight for the soul of our party and the soul of our country.”
But Christie’s failure to break through—to gain any traction and turn around the highest disapproval ratings among all the candidates—says more about the Republican electorate and less about Christie. While other top competitors like Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley have refused to clearly criticize Trump and even promised to pardon him if elected, any time Christie attacked Trump in a public forum he faced a chorus of boos.
It’s a sign of the power of Trump’s systematic lying, the refusal of the GOP electorate to face facts and, yes, the continuing appeal of the cult leader that Christie’s truth-telling led to his inevitable departure from the race. It’s a reminder not only of what we’re up against come November but also the scale of difficulty in deprogramming this population in the long run. This will be a fraught reality affecting the lives of all of us in the years ahead.
On his way out the door Wednesday, Christie neither endorsed any other candidate—in fact, he had hard words for both Haley and DeSantis—nor did he say that he would support Joe Biden. But he did say this: “I’m going to make sure that in no way do I enable Donald Trump to ever be president of the United States again.”
You can be sure that between now and November, Chris Christie won’t remain silent.
It remains to be seen whether Trump’s unhinged attacks will eventually bury him. But we have already seen how Trump has endangered the lives of critics and court officials committed to the rule of law. Our democracy faces growing danger because of the constant threats and outbursts of political violence incited by Donald Trump.
On Wednesday morning, Trump ranted on his Truth Social platform that New York Attorney General Letitia James and Judge Arthur Engoron, who soon decides on the $370 million civil fraud trial, are trying to “screw me.”
On Thursday, Judge Engoron allowed Trump to give final remarks on the last day of the trial in which prosecutors contend Trump exaggerated his net worth, thereby receiving favorable loans and violating state laws. Trump used it to attack James, who he said “hates Trump and uses Trump to get elected.” He also attacked Engoron: “I know this is boring to you. You have your own agenda, I certainly understand that. You can’t listen for more than one minute.”
This came after the judge had relented and allowed him to make closing remarks if he didn’t politicize it and give a “campaign speech.” Of course, Trump ignored the restrictions asked of him by the man who’ll be deciding his fate, possibly by the month’s end—a decision that could lead to his losing ownership of Trump Tower in New York or even Mar-a-Lago to pay off his debts. According to the defendant, he “did nothing wrong” and AG James “should pay me” for what he’s suffered. Poor Donald.
“Control your client,” Engoron beseeched Trump’s lawyers. Fat chance: It didn’t happen that day and I doubt it will happen any day between now and the end of his time on this earth.
But we must remain vigilant to the continuing desire and plan to cause harm. Trump’s cultists accept his assertions that he is an innocent man who did nothing wrong and that every trial—involving 91 felony counts and this massive civil fraud trial and the upcoming E. Jean Carroll defamation case concerning his legally decided sexual assault—is simply political persecution.
That included a despicable bomb threat to the Great Neck, N.Y., home of Judge Engoron yesterday morning on the trial’s final day. The Nassau County Police Department confirmed that it was received at 5:30 a.m., the latest “swatting” incident that has also been used against Special Counsel Jack Smith, Federal Judge Tanya Chutkan and others.
Once again, a court spokesperson had to address the issue of safety for the judge and his staff. “We have been at a heightened security posture for the entirety of the proceedings and that continues,” spokesperson Al Baker said. “Additional layers of security will be added out of concern for Justice Engoron.”
It was my hope when Trump was evicted from the White House nearly three years ago and Joe Biden became president that the country would experience a lessening of the daily drama and violent turmoil and degradations that defined Trump’s years in office.
Oh, how I wish for a slow news day when nothing much is going on. But not only has that not happened during these three years, as the vise tightens and the myriad civil and criminal cases accelerate and accumulate, the malignant one’s narcissism and sociopathy will worsen. Stochastic terrorism or carefully plotted acts of political violence and disruption such as these swatting incidents are the inevitable outgrowth of Trump’s continuing freedom to incite violence and hate.
The more he feels endangered—especially if he loses his appeals for presidential immunity—the more chaos and violence he will sow. And it’s up to each of us to absorb what’s happening day by day, but also keep the larger picture in sight: To do everything we can to ensure this man never gains the levers of power again.
While we cannot stop his manic eruptions—short of his arrest and incarceration and disconnection from public platforms—we can engage in the democratic process, by getting out the vote and persuading everyone we can that the survival of democracy and a better future is on the line. Because it is.
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Swatting is an illegal act, it puts police, first responders and innocent civilians at risk. However his followers don’t seem to care. How would they like it if the federal judge in Texas who is making all the anti abortion rulings, the governor of a red state or even a person with a trump lawn sign on their property were the victims of such an act? It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt.
During the time when TFG was not on Facebook or Twitter there was a relative period of calm. He needs to have his oxygen removed. It’s like when an oil well explodes, you cap it and the danger is over.
One last thing, how pathetic during his courtroom rant to refer to himself in the third person.
Americans crave entertainment over substance. Sadly.