Trump's indictment is a sad but necessary day for the country | Opinion

It finally happened. Donald Trump, the twice-impeached ex-president, has been indicted on 37 criminal charges in a Florida federal court in the heart of Trump country. It is not pretty.

When the person who has held the highest office in the land is indicted, it's a sad day in our nation's history. But given the ex-president's conduct in handling the nation's top secrets, his refusal to return secret and highly classified documents, lying about what was in his possession, and his obstruction of justice, the indictments are wholly justified. Any other person committing the acts Trump is charged with would already be in prison.

Irresponsible statements to a divided nation

The anger, the partisan divisions ripping at the country's seams and the lack of understanding of what genuine patriotism demands of citizens threaten a second Civil War. How irresponsible for U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) to tweet: "We have now reached a war phase. Eye for an eye."; and for failed gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, also an Arizona Republican, to say that if prosecutors “want to get to President Trump,” they’re ”going to have to go through me, and 75 million Americans just like me. And most of us are card-carrying members of the NRA.”

The refusal of many of Trump's supporters to accept facts and the truth simply because they choose not to threatens the freedom of all Americans.

Counterpoint: If Donald Trump is not successfully prosecuted, then this was all a witch hunt | Column

Not apples to oranges, but apples to rocks

Rather than acknowledge what is real, many so-called leaders within the Republican Party are resorting to “whataboutisms” – What about Hillary Clinton? What about the Biden family? What about Bill Clinton?

What short memories they have. Hillary Clinton was investigated 40 ways from Sunday, and nothing indictable was found. Former U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), chairman of the House Select Committee on Benghazi, did all he could to uncover wrongdoing in the tragedy at our embassy in Libya. When he came up with nothing, he and the other Republican committee members resorted to smear tactics, knowing Clinton would be the presidential candidate to succeed Barack Obama. The same result with her email debacle.

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And they have the gall to talk about the weaponization of government against Trump and Republicans. Their comparison of the two is not apples to oranges. It is apples to rocks.

Trump's indictment is not because he took classified materials with him when he left office. The charges are due to his refusal to return the materials after he took them, and his lying and obstruction of efforts by the government to have them returned. Trump was not charged for the 197 documents he returned. He was charged for refusing to return roughly 11,000, with some 100 marked as classified, including highly sensitive military intelligence.

The cowardly, spineless reactions by many Republicans in Congress and candidates for president in the GOP primaries have been appalling. Although Nikki Haley, former governor of South Carolina, has now changed her tune, she previously tweeted: "This is not how justice should be pursued in our country," which begged the question of how justice should be pursued. Should certain people, based on their status, be above the law? Special prosecutor Jack Smith says, "No man is above the law," a view held by most Americans.

Dazed by loyalty to a man who functions like a cult leader rather than adhering to the guiding principles upon which the nation was founded, people like U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, dripping with faux anger, refuse to engage with the facts of the charges. But not all are willing to take Graham's path. Responding like Pavlov's dog is unbecoming for the senator.

'If even half of it is true, he's toast.'

Bill Barr, the former attorney general who served as a shill for Trump, has said of the 37 counts against his former boss, "If even half of it is true, he's toast." Still the front-runner in the Republican presidential race, there are no laws that would block Trump’s candidacy or election. Serving as president from jail would be tricky, and any man convicted of a crime issuing a pardon to himself would be more than problematic.

Bringing criminal charges against Trump in Florida could be to his disadvantage. He has won twice in his adopted state and will have a jury pool that could have some Trump voters in its makeup. Added to that likelihood is the federal judge assigned to preside over the case, Judge Aileen Cannon. Last year as the investigation into his wrongdoing proceeded, Cannon issued two highly controversial rulings that favored Trump that were overturned by the conservative 11th Appeals Court.

A conviction by a jury of some likely Trump voters before a judge he appointed to the bench would leave the MAGA crowd little to howl about.

Dr. Theotis Robinson Jr. is a freelance writer, former Knoxville City Council member and retired vice president of equity and diversity at the University of Tennessee. He may be reached at thewriteone7@comcast.net.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Opinion: Trump's indictment is a sad but necessary day for the country