D onald Trump’s most vital campaign did not involve his political consultants, the hysteria of his rallies, the paranoid TV spots about migrant murderers and transgender bogeymen, his blathering on “bro” podcasts or the prancing of a hopped-up Elon Musk. Nor was it about a garbage can in the ocean, eating pets or divine intervention. Trump’s vulnerability was always at the forefront of his mind.
He knew he could have been eliminated at crucial moments before election day. He was anxious about more than an assassination. He understood that his most threatening adversary was the criminal justice system.
Trump had to get away with his crimes to survive. The making of the president required the unmaking of justice. Trump’s bravado excited his Maga faithful even as it masked his furtive, frantic and desperate efforts to escape legal judgment.
He committed new crimes to obstruct justice, to hide evidence for which he was additionally indicted. In all, he faced 54 felony charges apart from the 34 felony counts on which he was found guilty in the election and business fraud case involving hush money in New York. Among the federal charges against him were conspiracy to defraud the American people of a free and fair election, conspiracy against rights and corruptly concealing and destroying classified defense documents under the Espionage Act.
In the Georgia state election interference case, he was indicted under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (Rico) Act a.
