Seacoast writers offer strong opinions on latest Trump indictment: Letters

Trump's enablers insult our intelligence

June 12 — To the Editor:

The Republican Party has rejected an opportunity to be the party of truth and the principle of law. Instead, its leadership insults our intelligence by claiming that even though Trump deliberately stole classified documents, hid them and repeatedly lied about it; prosecuting him is a political act. His own lawyers refuse to defend him.

Trump is a serial liar. He ignored his campaign promises. He gave away our environmental protections. He shifted the tax burden away from the wealthy onto the working class. His administration was remarkable for its incompetence, partisanship and corruption. Still, individual Republicans obstinately insist they “love the guy." Is this not the very definition of a con man?

Over my many years, I have come to accept a simple truth: people get the government they deserve.

Bill Kingston

New Castle

Prosecuting political opponents. Have we become a third-world country?

June 12 — To the Editor:

There are many ways to win a presidential election.  Here are just a few:

• Be the most qualified.

• Be a good communicator.

• Be an effective leader.

• Have executive experience in the private sector.

• Receive the most electoral votes legally.

• Receive the most electoral votes illegally.

• Raise more money than your opponent.

• Lie about your credentials.

• Lie about your opponent.

• Use the forces of government to investigate your opponent.

Of course, the last way to win an election, using the power of the state, only happens in third world countries. Or does it?

Dolores Souto Messner

Hampton

Silence is golden: Let the facts be shown in court before judging case against Trump

June 12 — To the Editor:

“You have the right to remain silent …” —The beginning of the Miranda rights.

By the time this letter is published, former President Trump will have been arraigned in a federal courthouse on charges of illegally possessing and hiding classified documents, many of which are directly related to national security. It will be up to a jury to decide whether or not Mr. Trump is guilty of any or all of the 37 counts brought against him, but until then, Mr. Trump should be presumed to be innocent.

Unfortunately, many prominent Republicans across the country, including Speaker Kevin McCarthy, have decided to use this moment to attack the FBI and Department of Justice, even before reading the indictment charges. Instead of trusting the courts and our judicial system to sort things out, they have made the point of putting the Department of Justice and our law enforcement officials on trial, claiming unequal treatment and government overreach.

Merrick Garland and the DOJ took precautionary steps to appoint an independent counsel to investigate Mr. Trump (as they did with Hunter Biden, Mike Pence, and President Biden) to avoid favoritism, political partisanship, or the appearance of political partisanship. Any difference in the way Mr. Trump has been treated has to do with Mr. Trump’s actions, not the actions of the president, the DOJ, or the FBI.  For Republican leaders to turn this into a political sideshow does a grave disservice to our judicial process and the country itself.

If anything, the process has already been skewed in Mr. Trump’s favor. The indictment itself was issued at the recommendation of an independent jury in a Republican-leaning county after examining the evidence presented to them.

Moreover, the documents in Mr. Trump’s possession were so sensitive, that only a fraction of documents recovered can be presented as evidence, less the judicial process itself compromises national security.  For Speaker McCarthy and other Republican leaders to suggest that recovering those documents and securing them with the utmost dispatch is “government overreach” shows their willingness to put party politics above the security of the country.

Speaker McCarthy’s priorities should be examined if he is more willing to show outrage at our law enforcement and judicial systems without even mentioning a concern that vital documents related to our military plans and nuclear capabilities have been taken and mishandled to an unsecured location where they might be easily copied and end up in the hands of our nation's enemies.  By attacking the DOJ and FBI, Speaker McCarthy and other prominent Republicans have taken the position that fealty to Mr. Trump is more important than the traditional Republican values of law enforcement, national security, and protection of the men and women of our armed forces.

Speaker McCarthy, House Republicans, and the Republican candidates for President could have followed the example of most Republican Senators and simply remained silent. Let our law enforcement and judicial systems work; allow Mr. Trump his day and court without political posturing and let the courts decide whether or not Mr. Trump is guilty of the charges.  We all have the right to free speech, but sometimes silence is golden.

That advice might be a little too late for Mr. Trump, as much of the evidence in the Palm Beach indictments come from video recordings of Mr. Trump himself.  Had he followed the examples of Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Mike Pence and simply turned over the documents as requested, none of this would have been necessary.

James Fieseher MD

Dover

Trump vowed to enforce all laws regarding classified information. Now he's crying foul.

June 12 — To the Editor:

Aug. 18, 2016, Charlotte, North Carolina “In my administration, I'm going to enforce all laws concerning the protection of classified information. No one will be above the law."

These are the words of then candidate for President Donald Trump. Considering the recent 37-count indictment, including violations of the espionage laws, obstructing an investigation, and sharing classified information with individuals without proper security clearances and who were not authorized to see such information, I would hope that Mr. Trump's 2016 statement would also apply to him.

What many Trump supporters fail to understand is the actual process of obtaining an indictment, as well as the function and makeup of a grand jury. The Department of Justice (DOJ), the attorney general, nor the president of the United States determine who and if someone is indicted for crimes.  The DOJ, based on credible evidence of possible crimes initiates an investigation into whether crimes may have been committed.  If such a determination is made a grand jury is established to hear all the evidence and facts gathered by the investigation and then the grand jury determines if the evidence is strong enough to charge an individual with a crime or crimes.

A grand jury consists of average citizens selected at random from the community where the alleged crime or crimes took place.  The members of the grand jury are not DOJ employees, or related to the government's investigation in any way. The grand jury that recently indicted Mr. Trump were all citizens selected from So. Florida communities.  It can take months or longer for a grand jury to hear all the evidence and make a determination as to whether an indictment is warranted.  For anyone to claim that this process is a political witch hunt, an abuse of power by the DOJ or that the president has any influence in this matter simply don't understand how the system operates.

Mr. Trump will have his opportunity in a court of law, before a jury of his peers to refute the DOJ's evidence, provide witnesses that could support his claims of innocence, and present any evidence to support his claims of innocence.  It will then be up to the trial jury to determine his innocence or guilt on any or all the counts he is charged with.

This is how the system works, and just as Mr. Trump indicated in his 2016 statement how it should apply to anyone and everyone mishandling classified information, including Mr. Trump himself.

Rich DiPentima. LTC, USAF, Ret.

Portsmouth

Thoughts on rocket science and 'Reality'

June 12 — To the Editor:

Although some rocket science has certainly fallen under the umbrella of sensitive information, handling sensitive information is not rocket science.

Millions of Americans control sensitive information daily by virtue of their jobs. There is information subject to the Privacy Act and/or HIPAA. There is government information, military information, attorney-client privileged information, company proprietary information and many other types.

Depending on the type of information that is mishandled or compromised, a person or business could be harmed and at worst, people could die as a result.

As for individuals working for the federal government, whether in uniform or not, they submit information to determine if they are trustworthy enough to handle sensitive information. In general, individuals who have foreign born relatives, own foreign property, possess foreign bank accounts, engage in dubious business practices or have been involved in past criminal or civil legal proceedings are not typically viewed as a reasonable security risk. They should not be allowed to handle sensitive information.

If you would like to see how this reality plays out for the vast majority of Americans, feel free to watch the 2023 movie "Reality," where a 20-something woman named Reality Leigh Winner is quickly arrested for mishandling a single sensitive document. She spent about four years in prison for that offense. Ironically, the document provided evidence that Russia was attempting to influence the 2016 election in favor of the candidate who then became president, and would later be indicted for mishandling sensitive government information. Another reality appears to be that young women are punished by our legal system for things that older men are given a free pass on.

Don Cavallaro

Rye

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Seacoast writers offer strong opinions on Trump indictment: Letters