Trump’s defenders slink to the occasion Donald Trump will be arraigned in a Washington, D.C. court this afternoon on charges spelled out in the indictment a federal grand jury handed down on Tuesday. He and his defenders will googolplex down on lies and distortions about those charges. First up from his defense team is that Trump is being prosecuted for exercising his First Amendment right to free speech. That is not a legal defense, but a political one for consumption and repetition by his supporters. They will do both. The former president’s alleged crimes are spelled out on the cover page of the grand jury’s indictment: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. DONALD J. TRUMP, Defendant. And in paragraph four (pg. 2). And at the top of page 3 (COUNT ONE). And at the top of pages 43, 44 and 45 (COUNTS TWO, THREE and FOUR). Chapter and verse. Conspiracy to defraud the United States; two counts of conspiracy to obstruct and attempting to obstruct an official proceeding; and a conspiracy against “the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured … by the Constitution or laws of the United States.” That is, Trump is charged with a sweeping conspiracy to subvert the 2020 election. Trump is not charged with lying, although lie he did, repeatedly, knowingly, purposefully in furtherance of the alleged conspiracies. Now let the gaslighting begin … um, continue. Trump teed up the stolen election lie long before November 3, 2020. What special counsel Jack Smith…