Every American who is concerned about the United States and whether it can keep its democracy should be concerned about the potential of criminal charges being filed against former President Donald Trump, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said Sunday.
"Look how quickly Venezuela changed," Carson said during Newsmax's special coverage concerning former President Donald Trump's Saturday announcement that criminal charges may be filed against him this week by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
"That is high in my thinking because I've been there several times when it was a wonderful place to visit, with beautiful resorts and hotels," Carson continued. "The biggest thing that people argued about is whether they were the most beautiful people in the world. They went from that and from the No. 1 economy in South America to the bottom almost overnight. This is what can happen when you allow these kinds of things."
The American people will stand up against the prosecution of Trump, said Carson; but even more, the nation must realize that if its election system isn't fixed to become "something that is transparent that people can believe in, nothing else is going to matter."
Trump said Saturday on his Truth Social page that he expects to be arrested Tuesday and called for protests. Charges would be brought by the Manhattan district attorney's office in connection to a payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who claims she had an affair with him. Trump has denied the claims.
Carson added that what ends up happening will tell the United States whether it can keep its republic, but he's concerned that criminal prosecution of Trump is "the kind of thing [that happens] in banana republics and in communist regimes."
"When you look at all the problems that we have right now with the economy, with almost 200 Americans dying every day from fentanyl, with human trafficking, with crime, the list just goes on and on," Carson said. "This is what you're going to be dealing with? It's absolutely absurd. It's embarrassing. And you know, I talked to people from other countries all the time. And they're saying, 'What's happening to your country?' It's very hard to watch this, but I'm hoping we're just going to a crazy thing and maybe we're going to come out."
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