30 May 2024 was a good day for America

By Ande Jacobson

On 30 May 2024, a jury in Manhattan unanimously convicted Donald J. Trump, a former U.S. president, of 34 counts in his first criminal trial. Some might think this was a sad day because for the first time, a former president was tried and convicted in a criminal proceeding. That former president is now a convicted felon, but it’s not necessarily a sad day in our history. The sad part really is that a former president would commit crimes in the way that this one has, but through both civil and criminal trials, we are showing the nation and the world that nobody is above the law, not even a former president, and that’s a very good thing. Continue reading

A day for the history books: a former president has been indicted

By Ande Jacobson

30 March 2023 was a day that will loom large in our nation’s history. Given all that has transpired, it had to happen eventually, but only after extensive investigation. While we cannot know for sure, it’s likely that we’ll see more such days as the continuing investigations complete. Donald J. Trump, a former president of the United States of America, has been indicted. We don’t yet know the specific charges. Those will be unsealed in due time when he is arraigned.

In the U.S., the last 8 years have yielded many unprecedented events, some of which are undoubtedly criminal activities directed by the former president. His personal criminal past may well go back long before he entered politics, but because the investigations are ongoing, we can’t know the full content of what has been discovered surrounding those activities just yet. Now they are starting to land squarely in the courts with him as the focus of attention in criminal rather than just civil matters. This is a big change. In the case of the former president, this is all of his own making, and now he’s being held accountable, something he likely never believed could ever happen to him. While someone’s misfortune is not a cause for celebration, it’s a little hard not to view the events of 30 March 2023 with a bit of pride that we are still a nation of laws that apply to everyone, even former presidents. Continue reading