Trump allies: Stop debasing our courts. He got a fair trial and could have testified.
What disturbs me the most about the Donald Trump phenomenon in this country is how educated representatives of United States citizens are so willing to jeopardize the very constitutional republic in which they function.
It is absolutely despicable, some would say deplorable, that individuals like Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, as well as many other Republican congressional representatives and senators deride a fundamental tenet of our republic.
I’m speaking of our judicial system that includes the right of every American, including ex-presidents, to a fair trial by jury. Donald Trump was indicted on 34 counts in New York by a grand jury of his fellow citizens.
Subsequently a trial was legally structured that allowed him freedom, in spite of being indicted, legal representation of his choice, and participation in the selection of a jury of his peers. The laws governing trial by jury were adhered to throughout the presentation of evidence to this jury, and Mr. Trump was given an opportunity to call any witnesses he wished to testify in his behalf.
Not only that, Mr. Trump could have taken the stand himself to testify against any and all witnesses who were brought by the prosecution in its presentation of evidence. Following weeks of presentation of evidence the jury, not the judge, not President Biden, not Democrats in general, the jury found Mr. Trump guilty of 34 counts of indictment.
Letter: Donald Trump is guilty and he's not above the law. No one is
Now we have Republican leaders in our country attacking our legal system as a weaponized instrument of politics. I suppose I should not be surprised in that the same Republican leaders publicly undermined our electoral process, and our judicial system that protects our electoral process during and after the presidential election of 2020.
Our republic is not infallible. There are inherent weaknesses that our founders recognized, yet held faith in the ability and desire of their fellow citizens to be informed and fair minded; citizens not subjects.
The founders also had faith that informed and fair-minded citizens would recognize and deny power to scoundrels and despots seeking personal enrichment and authoritarian power. I continue to hold this faith as well.
I hope that I will not be proven a fool.
Robert Landry, M.D., Chattanooga 37405
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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Donald Trump got a fair trial and he's mad a jury found him guilty
