Is Trump Being Railroaded?

 

Many of Trump’s defenders in the media are saying he is being railroaded for political reasons. There are two main ways to railroad a person. The first is to punish him for a crime he did not commit. As far as I can tell, almost none of Trump’s supporters are claiming he did not do the things he has been charged with in the indictment. The document is very specific, and Smith would have to be a fool not to have the goods on all or almost all the things it charges.

The second way to railroad someone is to punish him severely for offenses that usually are not punished at all or punished only very lightly. That is what the Trumpists say is happening. They often start by pointing out that Biden and Pence also had classified documents they should not have had and got away with it. That argument is very weak. Biden and Pence admitted their mistakes and cooperated with authorities in correcting them. Neither of them refused to deliver documents, lied to investigators, hid documents, or obstructed investigations as Trump is charged with doing.

From there Trump’s defenders usually go on to Hillary Clinton where they do have a better case. She illegally had classified documents on a private server. People under her authority destroyed emails that were under subpoena, a serious violation that brings an assumption of guilt when done by companies or other individuals. Yet she was charged with nothing. It is likely that the main reason for her good fortune was a Democratic party DOJ protecting a Democratic party candidate. However, she also handled her situation differently from the way Trump has handled his. Overall she was shiftier and better organized than Trump. Besides, the things he is charged with are worse than the things she got away with. Her favorable treatment was surely fishy but does not support a claim that Trump is being railroaded. His case is too different from hers.

Trump may well end his career in politics as a convicted criminal unable even to vote, but it will be his doing, not the result of his enemies railroading him.