He’s Out Of Control

Created
Wed, 08/11/2023 - 09:00
Updated
Wed, 08/11/2023 - 09:00
And nobody seems to be able to rein him in. It’s obvious most Republicans don’t want to. Here’s a good analysis of where we are with Trump and his legal problems from Stephen Collinson at CNN: The judge in Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial despairingly pressed the ex-president’s lawyer: “I beseech you to control him if you can.” Judge Arthur Engoron’s plea reflected his frustration at an incorrigible witness who boasted Monday about his piles of cash, aimed scathing political attacks and spouted uniquely illogical logic. But Engoron, who is presiding over the New York trial, also put his finger on a deeper question that will define a singular political figure’s place in history. And the answer, as always, was no, Trump cannot be controlled. No mere lawyer could impose the kind of discipline that two-and-a-half centuries of constitutional checks and balances could not provide during Trump’s time in office or since. And after threatening to dismiss the ex-president from the witness stand, Engoron opted to let the Trump storm rage in the apparent hope that it would blow itself out — though history has shown it never does. Trump’s combative defense against claims he inflated his wealth to rip off banks, insurance firms and New York state, served as a troubling preview of a 2024 election season that is likely to become ensnared with his massive legal peril. But it also revealed insights into Trump’s relentless refusal to give an inch to his enemies and showed why voters who despise East Coast authority figures and liberal societal codes…