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Trump is headed for a self-inflicted indictment

Sep 30, 2022

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Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, thinks former President Donald Trump is pushing for a “self-inflicted indictment” by making “nonsense arguments” about the Justice Department investigation into his handling of classified documents. Christie made his remarks while a guest on the ABC News show, “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” His comments follow news that Trump lost his fight to block the Department of Justice from having access to the classified materials federal agents seized from his Mar-a-Lago home. Trump has gone so far as to suggest the evidence against him may have been planted by agents during the search. Straight Arrow News contributor Rashad Richey looks at the chances Donald Trump will be indicted.

Chris Christie is now saying while Donald Trump is under criminal investigation, he is literally daring the Department of Justice to indict him. 

Here’s why I disagree with Chris Christie on his sentiment that the DOJ will not actually indict the former president of the United States. It’s not the DOJ who would actually do the indicting. It’s the grand jury. These are citizens in this country who are actually looking at evidence and investigating issues related to crimes that may have been committed by Donald Trump. 

Now everyone knows where I stand. I believe Donald Trump committed crimes after he was president. I believe he committed crimes while he was president and I believe he committed crimes before he ever became president of the United States. 

Donald Trump will forever be a defendant in some shape, form or fashion. But once again, Chris Christie is not arguing that Trump should not be indicted based on law or based on a lack of evidence. But based on sentiment. 

Gov. Christie, a former federal prosecutor, is saying that Donald Trump should not be indicted because it’s bad for the country, not because there is no there there. He’s not arguing as an attorney. He’s arguing as a person who simply thinks this would be bad for the country. 

No, it would be good for the country, Chris Christie, because it would prove that no one is in fact, above the law, not even a former United States president. 

You see, this is important to democracy. Democracy is only maintained when rule of law exists. And clearly, individuals are not actually above the law. Chris Christie is saying that Trump should not be indicted because he’s a former president and because it would be bad for the country. 

He’s not making the argument that Trump should not be indicted because there’s a lack of evidence, or Trump is actually innocent, or Trump did in fact, declassify information. 

As a matter of fact, Chris Christie, once again, a former federal prosecutor, has said that what Trump is saying on record, what he is interviewing about on record, it’s contrary to what his attorneys are willing to say in a court of law. 

Why is it that Trump’s attorneys would never say that Trump declassified information or the Department of Justice may have planted information? These are things Trump is saying. Why would the attorneys never say it? They would never say this because the attorneys could be sanctioned. The attorneys could lose their law license, and the attorneys themselves could end up being criminally prosecuted for engaging in criminal conspiracy and or obstruction. 

So yes, Chris Christie is right, in one sense that Trump is hurting himself with all of this extra public commentary. But he’s wrong on this. Donald Trump, in my humble opinion, will actually be indicted, contrary to the words of Chris Christie.

Okay, Chris Christie, former governor of New Jersey, has now said that Donald Trump is pushing himself to a self-inflicted indictment. 

Now, let me analyze the statements of [former] Gov. Chris Christie. Not from the perspective of him being a former governor, but from the perspective of him being a former federal prosecutor. 

Now, he did conclude that he does not think the DOJ will actually indict Trump. I disagree with Gov. Chris Christie. But let’s go back to what Chris Christie has offered for the record. Chris Christie said and I quote, that “he is headed toward a self-inflicted indictment.” 

He also said, “These are all self-inflicted wounds by Donald Trump.” Then he goes on to say, “don’t out loud fight the Department of Justice.” And then he says Trump is and I quote “doing the exact opposite.” 

Christie noted that prosecutors are human too, and don’t respond well to being dared to indict someone under investigation. So what is Chris Christie saying? Donald Trump, yes, is under criminal investigation. Let that sink in for a minute. I concluded, weeks before the raid, that Trump was under criminal investigation by a federal grand jury. That panned out to be completely true. 

Chris Christie is now saying while Donald Trump is under criminal investigation, he is literally daring the Department of Justice to indict him. 

Here’s why I disagree with Chris Christie on his sentiment that the DOJ will not actually indict the former president of the United States. It’s not the DOJ who would actually do the indicting. It’s the grand jury. These are citizens in this country who are actually looking at evidence and investigating issues related to crimes that may have been committed by Donald Trump. 

Now everyone knows where I stand. I believe Donald Trump committed crimes after he was president. I believe he committed crimes while he was president, and I believe he committed crimes before he ever became president of the United States. 

Donald Trump will forever be a defendant in some shape, form or fashion. But once again, Chris Christie is not arguing that Trump should not be indicted based on law or based on a lack of evidence. But based on sentiment. 

Gov. Christie, a former federal prosecutor, is saying that Donald Trump should not be indicted because it’s bad for the country, not because there is no there there. He’s not arguing as an attorney. He’s arguing as a person who simply thinks this would be bad for the country. 

No, it would be good for the country, Chris Christie, because it would prove that no one is in fact, above the law, not even a former United States president. 

You see, this is important to democracy. Democracy is only maintained when rule of law exists. And clearly, individuals are not actually above the law. Chris Christie is saying that Trump should not be indicted because he’s a former president and because it would be bad for the country. 

He’s not making the argument that Trump should not be indicted because there’s a lack of evidence, or Trump is actually innocent, or Trump did in fact, declassify information. 

As a matter of fact, Chris Christie, once again, a former federal prosecutor, has said that what Trump is saying on record, what he is interviewing about on record, it’s contrary to what his attorneys are willing to say in a court of law. 

Why is it that Trump’s attorneys would never say that Trump declassified information or the Department of Justice may have planted information? These are things Trump is saying. Why would the attorneys never say it? They would never say this because the attorneys could be sanctioned. The attorneys could lose their law license, and the attorneys themselves could end up being criminally prosecuted for engaging in criminal conspiracy and or obstruction. 

So yes, Chris Christie is right, in one sense that Trump is hurting himself with all of this extra public commentary. 

But he’s wrong on this. Donald Trump, in my humble opinion, will actually be indicted, contrary to the words of Chris Christie.

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