Trump Is Actually The Second GOP Presidential Candidate Indicted By Local Democrats In A Decade

Donald Trump’s indictment by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg recently was met with accusations of political motivation by his supporters and legal experts. While the charges have not been publicly disclosed, many speculate that he may be charged with “falsifying of business records” involving a Federal Election Commission violation over hush money paid to Stormy Daniels, a pornographer who claimed to have had an affair with Trump. However, the way Bragg has charged Trump has brought concerns about politicizing the justice system with a dubious legal theory to avoid the expiration of the statute of limitations on this crime.

Rick Perry, former Texas governor and GOP presidential candidate, was also indicted by a local Democratic district attorney in 2014, which forced him to go through a legal battle, casting a shadow over his presidential campaign. Perry’s crime was using the veto power granted to him in the Texas state constitution to veto a $7.5 million budget from the state public integrity unit, managed by Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, a Democrat.

Local Democrats convened a grand jury and indicted Perry on two felony charges, abuse of official capacity and coercion of a public servant, with an explanatory political agenda. Perry’s exoneration by the Court of Criminal Appeals in 2016 came too late as the damage to his political reputation was already done. His legal battle’s cost was approximately $2 million, and Deirdre Delisi, Perry’s former chief of staff, confirmed that it cast a shadow over his political campaign and alienated some finance supporters.

Trump and Perry’s cases have striking similarities and make Republican voters feel that the Democratic party may excuse corruption to pursue power. Therefore, the way the justice system handles Trump’s case is critical as specious claims can lead to diminished respect for the rule of law, resulting in profound repercussions and tit-for-tat political prosecution.