Trump and his minions are trying to delegitimize the rule of law and our judicial system in our country, just as they are doing in third world countries and Russia. This cannot be allowed to happen. Voters of both parties must not allow Trump’s twisted, dictatorial and incredibly dishonest ideas to win on November 5th.
Miles J. Zaremski, Highland Park, Illinois
The author is an attorney with Zaremski Law Group.
Justice is still served in America when a jury of 12 randomly selected jurors, carefully vetted by lawyers for both sides and including people who had confided in the past that they had sought information from Donald Trump’s own social media sites, weighed the evidence for weeks and returned a unanimous verdict against the Republican strongman. This is by no means the least significant part of Trump’s case. What could be more significant than the minimal fraud that helped his election and therefore enabled all the other crimes he is alleged to have committed?
Larry Robert, Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan
It is ironic that Donald Trump has used the justice system for his own gain for decades and now claims that the system is corrupt. It is also ironic that the candidate who promoted the phrase “send her to jail” may now be jailed. Trump has successfully convinced half of the American people to believe that the news media is biased and peddles fake news. With his false claims, Trump has once again succeeded in sowing doubts about the election process. Now Trump is focusing on the FBI and the US justice system. Abraham Lincoln said, “A house divided cannot stand.”
David Mendelsohn, Ashburn
The simple fact is that after over 60 lawsuits that failed to prove that Donald Trump’s 2020 loss was due to election fraud, the only one that went to trial and withstood legal scrutiny strongly suggests that the 2016 election that Trump won was fraudulent. The key was a conspiracy to suppress and hide from voters information about his extravagant lifestyle that could have swayed the outcome of the election. Sure, his extravagant behavior was known (the infamous “Access Hollywood” tapes), but a conspiracy to “catch and kill” and illegally hide evidence is another matter. We’ve heard so much disinformation about the 2020 election that it’s easy to forget how close the 2016 election was. Trump’s margin of victory in the 2016 battleground states (especially Michigan and Pennsylvania) was considerably smaller than Joe Biden’s margin of victory when those states “flipped” in 2020.
Mark Cooper, Silver Spring
Hold the champagne. The conviction of Donald Trump is a classic example of the battle won but the war lost. As catcher Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” Once the celebrations for President Biden are over, voters will elect him for Trump’s policies, which are more important than Trump being found guilty in a case that many believe should never have gone to trial.
Paul Schoenbaum, Richmond
The U.S. House of Representatives has a rule that says any member convicted of a felony that could lead to more than two years in prison should refrain from voting on bills. The House strips such members of their right to represent their constituents. That’s how seriously the House takes having felons in its ranks. Newt Gingrich, an ardent conservative, passed the rule years ago.
So how hypocritical is it that Republicans in the House are now telling everyone that it’s OK to have a felon as president? Reps. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) are hypocrites. They wouldn’t allow a felon, Donald Trump, a vote in the House, so why do the rest of us want him to occupy the White House?
Michael J. McCullough, Mays Landing, New Jersey
I was a young man growing up in the Mid-South during the presidency of Ronald Reagan. My whole family was Republican. I remember Reagan running against Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. The United States wasn’t perfect, but it seemed like it had a strong position in the world. I traveled abroad in my youth, and people in Europe and Russia praised the country and its freedoms.
But now, this summer, the Republican Party, once the party of Abraham Lincoln, plans to nominate a convicted felon for falsifying business records as its presidential candidate. And for president of the United States? A party that has long been “tough on crime,” “fiscally responsible,” and “strong on foreign policy”? What does this mean for the world?
I’m just an American standing in front of a political party asking them to get over their goddamn selves. REPUBLICAN: You used to love our justice system and the rule of law, and now you’re going to eviscerate our institutions because they weren’t nice enough to Donald Trump? No kidding.
Delia Zielinski, Hagerstown, Maryland
Lawyers are sometimes referred to as “officials of the court.” They are responsible for upholding the justice system with respect and professionalism.
So I am appalled when I see lawyers, especially publicly-held lawyers, denounce the case against Donald Trump as a “witch hunt” or that President Biden is weaponizing the Justice Department, which they know is a lie.
They attacked the New York case knowing that it was fairly decided; the judge was the ultimate professional and dealt with all sides fairly and impartially; the evidence and witnesses clearly demonstrated a criminal conspiracy to influence the 2016 Presidential election; and the jury took their charges seriously.
I hope that these elected attorneys, as well as the Supreme Court and U.S. District Judge Eileen M. Cannon, will take their responsibilities seriously as well.
Malcolm Lyle Jr., Asheville, North Carolina
Donald Trump, who is now a convicted felon, has mobilized the Republican Party and Republican lawmakers to criticize Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (Democrat), who prosecuted Trump, Judge Juan Marchan, who presided over the trial, and the jury that did not acquit Trump.
But no one who professes loyalty to Trump argues that he is innocent of the conduct underlying the charges. Not one. For a law-and-order party, falsifying business records is apparently OK, as is using false documents to hide information that could be damaging to voters. Republicans have suggested that the courts should ignore these violations of the law as they apply to Trump. Got it.
Andrea Porte Jacobs, Columbia, Maryland
These are the views of British citizens struggling to understand why America needed to become great again. America has always been a beacon of justice, even if it struggles at times. The British justice system is by no means perfect, but it has the potential to be impartial and fair.
Although Donald Trump was not re-elected, he appears to have “Made America Great Again” in the eyes of all those who believe that no one is above the law.
Anthony McColgan, Cottingham, United Kingdom
Regarding the June 1 Style article “Fox News hosts express disappointment in Trump verdict,” it is not just illogical and reprehensible that MAGA pundits and politicians are accusing jurors of bias and fraud without evidence. Psychologists call this “projection.” Poker players call it “telling.” By accusing jurors, Fox News hosts and Republican repeaters are revealing a lack of morals. Their basic premise is that no one acts with integrity because they themselves lack integrity. They cannot comprehend the fact that anyone can be sworn in and follow the law, whether it be a juror, an FBI agent, or an election official. MAGA trolls who say the Trump verdict was fraudulent are just showing their cards. And what they have is garbage.
The world has been hit hard by the Trump administration’s attack on the rule of law, but the guilty verdict offers some relief. Let me try to capture this feeling in poetry.
With justice comes joy.
It first danced at her feet,
And soar beyond the sky
There’s no backing down from there.
It’s a call for freedom
It may always sound,
Sounds that uplift and unite us
In thoughts, in actions, in words.
It continues to sing through the ages,
Very pure harmony
Stories soldiers heard going to war:
Who did they fall in love with?
Justice, like conscience, supports us.
When it is felt and when it is known.
It protects us from our weaknesses
We just reinforced being present.
People who are not satisfied with themselves,
People who have forgotten who they are.
We need justice to remind them.
They have gone too far.
Martin Bell, Balgowlah, Australia
