On Wednesday, September 23, New York State Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Eric Trump to abide by a subpoena and submit to a deposition by investigators probing Trump family business practices no later than October 7, thus rejecting the argument that a busy schedule made it impossible for the president’s son to meet with state officials prior to the November 3 election.
September 23 was also the day President Trump publicly refused to commit to a peaceful transition should he fail to win reelection.
Coincidence?
New York Attorney General Letitia James and Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Audrey Strauss, have been investigating Donald Trump and the Trump Organization for a variety of felonies including tax fraud, bank fraud, bribery, obstruction of justice, and campaign violations, among others. At age 74, conviction for even one of these crimes could amount to a life sentence for the president. Fortunately for Mr. Trump, he cannot be prosecuted while in office and, if he remains there, he will outlast the statutes of limitations on his alleged crimes and will no longer be in legal jeopardy.
In other words, the president wants to win reelection to stay in the White House. The president needs to win reelection to stay out of the Big House.
Consider the ruling of Judge Engoron, together with a recent pledge by Joe Biden not to pardon the former president and the recent revelations regarding his tax returns by the New York Times, and it is easy to see why Donald Trump is desperate to remain in office whether, or not, he earns the votes to do so. As the noose tightens, Mr. Trump will no doubt become even more desperate. There is no telling what the next several weeks will bring.
Fasten your seatbelts.
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