Trump's MAGA Walls Are Finally Closing In
What do a New York Grand Jury, a guilty verdict and a crushing political defeat all have in common...they are all finally coming for Donald Trump.
Lawyers for former president Donald Trump have been conducting searches of his properties for classified materials in the last few weeks, in order to fully comply with a grand jury subpoena to turn over all classified documents.
Yesterday afternoon, a Manhattan jury found two Trump Organization companies guilty on multiple charges of criminal tax fraud for a 15-year scheme to defraud tax authorities, and the entity could face a maximum of $1.61 million in fines when sentenced in mid-January.
Then, late yesterday evening, Republican Candidate Herschel Walker, the final true test of what remains of Trump’s MAGA legacy, was defeated in Georgia by Democrat Raphael Warnock. The last 24-hours has proven to be a somewhat surprising whirlwind of repercussions for former President Trump.
Trump’s legal team has had to hire an outside firm to carry out searches for more classified documents the former president may be stashing on at least two of his properties, including his golf club in Bedminster, NJ where his ex-wife, Ivanna Trump is buried. This independently hired outside search group was likely made necessary by Trump misleading his own legal team in the past about his ongoing possession of classified materials.
Trump Tower in New York, has also been recently searched on the basis that these two properties, in addition to his Mar-a-Lago Resort, where FBI agents recovered 33 boxes of classified documents in August, are where Trump spends most of his time.
The initial search in Florida followed a breakdown in trust between Department of Justice prosecutors and Trump’s legal team, which led the DOJ to get search warrants for the Mar-a-Lago property. Considering the large amount of classified materials that were retrieved in the search, Chief US District Judge Beryl Howell has increased the parameters of the search to include these other prominent Trump properties, in order to fully comply with the initial subpoena.
At the end of August, officials at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) expressed concerns that there may yet be more presidential records missing. On Aug. 24, Debra Steidel Wall, the agency’s head archivist sent an email to the staff instructing them to “stay above the fray and stick to the mission.”
The message also made it clear that the agency was not in a position to take a side and that any public perception of agency bias was not positive. “NARA has received messages from the public accusing us of corruption and conspiring against the former President, or congratulating NARA for ‘bringing him down,” wrote Steidel Wall, “Neither is accurate [n]or welcome.”
The legal pressures only increased yesterday afternoon, when a New York jury returned a guilty verdict against the Trump Organization for all 17 charged counts, that include tax fraud, falsifying business records and conspiracy. One subsidiary, the Trump Corporation, was convicted of nine counts. The other defendant, the Trump Payroll Corporation, was convicted of the remaining eight counts.
While Trump was not personally named as a defendant in the case, the ramifications for his business interests are monumental. The company faces fines up to $1.6 million at the sentencing phase in January. Moreover, a felony conviction for fraud changes the stakes for any current business dealings the Trump Organization may have. All banks and any entity who has a legal business contract with the company can now legally re-assess their dealings, and are now entitled to call for any outstanding debt to be immediately paid, or for any current lucrative contracts to be cancelled.
Trump is also the focus of multiple criminal probes that include the federal investigations for removing government documents from the White House, as well as his his efforts to commit election fraud in 2020. Trump, three of his adult children, and the Trump Organization are also still facing a pending civil lawsuit by New York Attorney General Letitia James that alleges widespread fraud involving years of false financial statements related to the company.
Another major blow was dealt to Donald Trump late last night, when his last remaining MAGA candidate, Herschel Walker, failed to defeat incumbent Raphael Warnock in Georgia in the Special Election for US Senate. The loss was a final nail in the political coffin for Donald Trump, whose other MAGA candidates failed miserably in the November Midterm General Election.
Trump’s tight grip on the Republican Party loosened substantially following those major losses, and allies openly criticized Trump on social media and cable news, questioning whether he should continue as the party’s leader. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), the heir apparent to be Speaker of the House, has also had a difficult time securing support from members of his party, who now appear to be openly bucking the idea of continuing the MAGA legacy.
While the MAGA movement appears to be on life support — or at the very least significantly stalled — the last true test of Trump’s potency will all come down to the 2024 Republican Primary Elections. If the former president, and leader of an insurrection against his own government, can’t retain the support of his die-hard voters, then the money train will eventually sputter to a full-stop. If the GOP can’t continue to fundraise off of Trump’s popularity, then his continued collegial support will be non-existent. Either way, it should be spectacular to watch.
Amee Vanderpool writes the SHERO Newsletter, is an attorney, published author, contributor to newspapers and magazines, and an analyst for BBC radio. She can be reached at avanderpool@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @girlsreallyrule.
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It’s great to watch Fat Don go down in flames but I seriously doubt he will ever personally answer for his crimes and fraud. He has been slipping past regulators, prosecutors and investigators for his entire adult life, why would now be any different. And all these Republicans trying to put distance between themselves and him will fall all over themselves to kiss the ring once the Trumpist minority splinters the primary vote and Trump manages to get the nomination. Just like before, the never-Trumpers will quickly become only-Trumpers. Any hope that DOJ will prosecute this ass-clown and lock him up is hope wasted.
While I am incredibly relieved that Senator Warnock won reelection in Georgia last night, I am still struck and disheartened that it was as close as it was. We all saw Herschel Walker on the campaign trail. We all saw his lies and deception, which long predated the election campaign. This election should have been a blowout, yet it was nip and tuck until well into the night.