The Damning Dismissal of Trump’s Election Interference Case in Georgia
A new precedent has been set. Now others will try to circumvent the system.
By Carron J. Phillips
Audio exists of Donald Trump trying to bully an elected official into helping him “find 11,780 votes” to overturn an election he lost—and it still didn’t matter.
Accountability in America for privileged white men in power seems nonexistent—if it ever existed. Even a “smoking gun” proves useless.
Last Wednesday, while most Americans were traveling for the holidays and preparing for Thursday’s feast, a Georgia judge shut down the final criminal prosecution Trump was facing for his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
The reality was sobering, and the timing felt sketchy, even if unintended.
To summarize, Judge Scott McAfee dismissed all charges after prosecutor Peter Skandalakis proclaimed that “it is not illegal to question or challenge election results.” According to a report from the New York Times, “The president has now seen three criminal cases against him dissolve since he was re-elected last year. Charges were also dropped against Mr. Trump’s remaining co-defendants in the Georgia racketeering case, including Rudolph W. Giuliani, his former personal lawyer, and Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff.”
The longer this case dragged on, the more it felt like last week was inevitable—especially after the results of last year’s election. However, despite what was argued in court and decided by a judge, what so many of us heard can’t be erased.
Trump stated during a Jan. 2, 2021, call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, “I know you would like to get to the bottom of it, although I saw you on television today and you said that you found nothing wrong. I mean, you know, and I didn’t lose the state, Brad. People have been saying that it was the highest vote ever. There was no way. A lot of the political people said that there’s no way they beat me. And they beat me.” Raffensperger replied, “Well, I listened to what the President has just said. President Trump, we’ve had several lawsuits and we’ve had to respond in court to the lawsuits and the contentions. Um, we don’t agree that you have won.”
Of all the legal shenanigans that Trump has been involved with over the past decade, the case in Georgia could have done the most damage, especially because state criminal convictions can’t be wiped away by presidential pardons.
Yet, the man who said the words above—and much more—on a phone call, the transcript of which was made public, got away with it. Given that a Black woman tried to put Trump behind bars (and had her love life on front pages as a result), this situation reflects ongoing race issues in the South, where the Confederacy remains unaccountable for its sins.
What took place last week was a blow to Americans seeking justice and a dagger to the heart of the so-called rule of law. In this country, insurrectionists get pardons and then seek reimbursement for court-ordered fines.
In the good ole days, circa anything before 2016, things like having a mugshot, being impeached twice, facing multiple allegations of sexual harassment and assault, and having ties to Jeffrey Epstein would have disqualified a person from the highest office in the land—regardless of political party. Now, those factors, together or individually, enhance one’s chances of election. Gary Hart and Howard Dean must be frustrated that they weren’t born later.
Chief Justice John Roberts’ Supreme Court ruling that presidents have “absolute immunity” from criminal prosecution for acts within their constitutional authority granted Trump free rein to do and say whatever he wants. If you thought the first year of Trump’s second term was lengthy, last week’s ruling suggests just how much longer the next three years will feel.
Checks and balances are meaningless when the legislative and judicial branches of government demonstrate clear loyalty to the individual who represents the executive branch. That’s a framework for a dreadful society. More concerning, however, is not just the current situation but the fear of what may come as a result of the disturbing precedent that has been established.
Elections have consequences.
Carron J. Phillips is an award-winning journalist who writes on race, culture, social issues, politics, and sports. He hails from Saginaw, Michigan, and is a graduate of Morehouse College and Syracuse University.
That J6-- the day and the sordid activities leading directly to and from it-- did not immediately and comprehensively end this individual's presence in, and influence on, the leadership of this country (and put him and all of his enabling thugs in prison for life) will, to my dying day, stun and sicken me.
As I said to a neighbor recently, trump is by far the worst thing that has ever happened to this country. At least 9/11 brought the country together. trump and the assorted thugs, criminals, traitors and racists that comprise this lawless regime have done nothing but tear this country apart. And the Roberts Subprime Court has allowed and encouraged all the destruction.