Trump’s indictment reveals America is becoming a member of ‘a number of the most superior democracies,’ NYT reporter argues

A New York Occasions reporter steered Thursday the indictment of former President Trump indicators that America is aligning itself with “a number of the most superior democracies” who’ve taken authorized motion in opposition to former political leaders.

Peter Baker, the chief White Home correspondent for the New York Occasions, made the suggestion in a information evaluation piece titled “A President Faces Prosecution, and a Democracy Is Examined.”

“Locking up former leaders on specious, politically pushed costs could also be widespread on this planet’s autocracies, however a number of the most superior democracies haven’t shied away from placing their leaders on trial for crimes,” Baker wrote within the article.

Furthering his level, Baker cited a handful of nations the place political leaders have been confronted with repercussions for alleged crimes, together with Israel and Italy.

BIDEN HAS ‘NO COMMENT’ ON TRUMP INDICTMENT

“In Israel, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spent greater than a yr in jail for bribery, fraud and different costs whereas the incumbent prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is at the moment on trial on comparable costs,” Baker acknowledged. “In Italy, former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who simply regained some energy as a part of a governing coalition, has confronted 35 legal court docket instances throughout his lengthy profession, though he was definitively convicted simply as soon as for tax fraud and sentenced to a yr of neighborhood service.”

As for different Democratic nations which have taken intention at political leaders, Baker cited the convictions of former French Presidents Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy for embezzlement and affect peddling, respectively. Baker additionally highlighted the convictions of former South Korean President Park Geun-hye for corruption and former Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian for bribery.

Baker’s article got here on the identical day a Manhattan grand jury – after a years-long investigation by the Manhattan District Legal professional’s Workplace – voted to indict Trump, the main Republican presidential nominee for 2024.

TRUMP SAYS DA BRAGG’S ‘OBSESSION’ WITH TRYING TO ‘GET TRUMP’ WILL ‘BACKFIRE’ AFTER GRAND JURY INDICTMENT

Manhattan District Legal professional Alivn Bragg has been investigating Trump for hush cash funds made main as much as the 2016 presidential election. These embody the $130,000 cost made to grownup movie actress Stormy Daniels, and the $150,000 cost made to former Playboy mannequin Karen McDougal.

Fox Information reported and revealed in 2018 a collection of hush cash funds made to each McDougal and Daniels, and the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace within the Southern District of New York and the Federal Election Fee each investigated these funds.

Federal prosecutors within the Southern District of New York opted out of charging Trump associated to the Daniels cost in 2019, whilst Michael Cohen, a former Trump legal professional, implicated him as a part of his plea deal. The Federal Election Fee additionally tossed its investigation into the matter in 2021.

Trump reacted to the indictment by slamming Bragg for his “obsession” with making an attempt to “get Trump,” whereas warning the transfer to cost a former president of the USA will “backfire” on President Biden.

“That is Political Persecution and Election Interference on the highest degree in historical past,” Trump stated in a press release. “From the time I got here down the golden escalator at Trump Tower, and even earlier than I used to be sworn in as your President of the USA, the Radical Left Democrats – the enemy of the hard-working women and men of this Nation – have been engaged in a Witch-Hunt to destroy the Make America Nice Once more motion.”

The costs in opposition to Trump come amid a separate, particular counsel investigation into his alleged improper retention of categorized data from his presidency at his Mar-a-Lago dwelling in Florida.

Fox Information’ Brooke Singman contributed reporting.

This text was initially printed by foxnews.com. Learn the original article here.