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OPINION

Democrats' Election Game Plan: Get Trump

united states presidency former president legal proceedings

Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the end of the day's proceedings in his trial, in New York City, on May 21, 2024. (Michael M. Santiago/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Michael Dorstewitz By Wednesday, 22 May 2024 09:22 AM EDT Current | Bio | Archive

Events and evidence released during the previous two days reveal that the Democratic Party is focusing on a single strategy to achieve victory in the 2024 elections: Remove former President Trump from the equation, using any means available.

Trump’s lawyer’s rested their case yesterday in the Manhattan "hush money" trial.

At this point Judge Juan Merchan will let the lawyers know what instructions he’ll give to the jury after each side submits their own proposed jury instructions.

On Tuesday of next week the lawyers will present their closing arguments and Merchan will give the jury its instructions.

Then it will all be up to the jurors.

But Monday it was the stuff of George Orwell, Star Chamber trials and banana republics, according to former Harvard law professor, celebrated lawyer, and constitutional scholar Akan Dershowitz.

"I have observed and participated in trials throughout the world. I have seen justice and injustice in China, Russia, Ukraine, England, France, Italy, Israel, as well as in nearly 40 of our 50 states" he said in a Tuesday New York Post column.

"But in my 60 years as a lawyer and law professor, I have never seen a spectacle such as the one I observed sitting in the front row of the courthouse yesterday."

Dershowitz reported that Merchan routinely excluded obviously relevant evidence offered by the defense, while permitting the inclusion of irrelevant but salacious evidence for the prosecution.

But perhaps the most outrageous incident was when Merchan completely lost his composure and cleared the courtroom because a defense witness, attorney Robert Costello, raised his eyebrows in reaction to one of the judge’s insane rulings.

"The judge actually threatened to strike all of Costello’s testimony if he raised his eyebrows again," Dershowitz said.

He concluded that "The judge’s threat was absolutely outrageous, unethical, unlawful and petty," adding, that he "revealed his utter contempt for the defense and anyone who testified for the defendant."

Mercian later refused to permit the testimony of a federal election official, who would have testified that the alleged "hush money" scheme did not amount to a violation of federal election law, contrary to the prosecution’s theory.

But what may have been worse was revealed yesterday, when previously-sealed files related to the Mar-a-Lago raid were unsealed and released in Trump’s "classified documents" case.

Mar-a-Lago is the permanent Florida residence of the former president and his family, as well as a private club and resort.

Investigative reporter Julie Kelly called the new documents "mind-blowing" — and that may’ve been an understatement.

"FBI authorized the use of deadly force at Mar-a-Lago," she said.

"Oh my God," Kelly continued. "Armed FBI agents were preparing to confront Trump and even engage Secret Service if necessary."

The FBI was also authorized to search the rooms of the resort’s guests.

"They were going to go door to door to terrorize MAL guests and even pick the locks," she reported. "Gestapo."

Under the heading "Contingencies" the filings said that "Should [former President of the United States] arrive at [Mar-a-Lago], FBI MM EM and OSCs will be prepared to engage with [former President of the United States] and [U.S. Secret Service] Security Team."

Surmised Brianna Lyman, reporting for The Federalist, "MM may be a reference to the Miami FBI office, and OSC appears to refer to the office of Special Counsel Jack Smith," who filed the criminal "classified documents" case against Trump.

Under the heading "Policy Statement," the filing said, "Law enforcement officers of the Department of Justice may use deadly force when necessary."

So who would approve the use of deadly force against a former president and his Secret Service detail?

Kelly jogged our memories on that one.

"Recall who authorized the raid," Kelly said: "Merrick Garland" — the attorney general of the United States, who very nearly became a U.S. Supreme Court justice, if former President Barack Obama had had his way.

All this to win an election?

Maybe instead, Democrats should consider nominating qualified candidates instead of dimwits, halfwits, and nitwits.

So how did we get from Ronald Reagan’s description of America as a "shining city on a hill" to a banana republic that uses Gestapo tactics against our political enemies?

What sort of person would allow this to happen?

That would be the sort of person who would keep his biggest political rival tied up in court, offer condolences to Iran for the death of "the Butcher of Tehran," and tell a young, eager, graduating class of African Americans that America hates them, that’s who.

And if we don’t return to that "shining city on a hill" after the next election, we’ll soon be reminiscing about those bygone days when people were free and government feared the people.

Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He is also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and an enthusiastic Second Amendment supporter. Read Michael Dorstewitz's Reports — More Here.

© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


MichaelDorstewitz
If we don’t return to that "shining city on a hill" after the next election, we’ll soon be reminiscing about bygone days when people were free and government feared the people.
dershowitz, garland, merchan
816
2024-22-22
Wednesday, 22 May 2024 09:22 AM
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