From Harry Litman's 8-28-23 LOS ANGELES TIMES Op-Ed piece entitled “Donald Trump Just Saw the Inside of a Jailhouse — and Possibly His Own Miserable Future”:
Trump did receive some special treatment that distinguished him — for the worse — even from some of his 18 co-defendants in the sprawling racketeering case. He is now subject to a detailed set of conditions in return for the continued privilege of staying out of the county’s notoriously decrepit jail.
In addition to posting $200,000 bail, he must not intimidate any co-defendant or witness in the case “or otherwise obstruct the administration of justice.” And the court included another condition tailored to Trump by specifying that the communication restrictions apply to social media posts and reposts.
Trump’s agreement to these conditions — and Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee’s duty to protect court personnel and witnesses from intimidation and the jury from bias — provide ample authority to muzzle and punish Trump should he continue engaging in incendiary rhetoric about the case. But Trump’s track record provides every reason for concern that he will ignore his obligations and essentially dare the court to impose a gag order, hold him in contempt and put him in jail.
No one in the system wants that. Like U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing the federal election interference case, McAfee is certainly aware of the ferocious blowback that would result from even briefly locking up the leading candidate for the Republican nomination for president.
The question, however, is whether Trump will leave the judge any choice. He may be determined to flout the order, concluding that he will be celebrated as a rebel for defying the authorities and a martyr if they bring him to heel. The showdown will only reinforce his claims that the Deep State is coming for him and by extension his supporters [...].
Trump might nevertheless be able to forestall justice for himself, if not prevent it altogether, if he becomes president again. It’s my view that the Supreme Court could find that the Fulton County proceedings would have to be held in abeyance until the end of his term. And who knows what damage to the rule of law Trump may have wrought by then?
To read the entire article, click HERE.
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