Trump threatens witness Gen. Milley; Trump should be revoked on release & detained pending trial

[Rhiannon12866]

Our criminal justice system is struggling at the moment. Donald Trump is on pretrial release in four felony prosecutions - two state cases and two federal cases. As a condition of his pretrial release, Trump has been ordered not to threaten the witnesses against him. Yet, he has done just that, as the Independent reported: "Trump suggests Mark Milley should be executed in possible breach of pre-trial release conditions."

This video discusses the legal standard to detain a defendant pending trial. Given Trump's dangerous, indeed, deadly, rhetoric against witnesses, Trump's pre-trial release should be revoked and he should be detained pending trial. - Glenn Kirschner - 09/25/2023.

[republianmushroom]

1. Time to stop the coddling

[Rhiannon12866]

11. He needed to be shut down after his first attacks - AG Bragg and the judge

Every day it gets more out of control, now he's calling for executions! WTF does it take?!

[Richard D]

2. I don't want to be cynical . . .

. . . but I am sure defendant trump will receive at the most a sternly worded letter.

I so hope I'm wrong.

[Rhiannon12866]

12. I hope so, too...

[MagaSmash]

3. Lets see our Legal System Flex it's Muscles. We've Waited Too Long.

[Rhiannon12866]

4. He should have been stopped when he first attacked AG Bragg and the judge - and their families!

Anyone else would have been charged and jailed long ago.

[MagaSmash]

5. When would the Judge make such a Ruling? This Week?

[Rhiannon12866]

6. Andrew Weissmann said this is "pending..."

[BOSSHOG]

7. Trump wants to be "Detained Pending Trial"

He needs a stage to provide an Oscar Winning I am a martyr performance.

He envisions riots in the streets. So be it. Could be like his recent campaign rallies. A popcorn fart in the Grand Canyon.

Trump knows he’s guilty on all counts. He’s an honor student of Roy Cohns class of never ending conservative chicanery. He’s well read on Hitlers minister of propaganda, Joseph Goebbels. Tell lies loud and often. Blame your enemies for what you do. He is a sick, sad, pathetic human. Judge Chutkin, throw his ass in jail and tell him why. If his supporters want to end up in jail like those who supported him on January Sixth then so be it.

Fair Winds and Following Seas General Milley. American citizens sitting on the sidelines don’t know how lucky they have been having you at the helm of our military machine while having a treasonous bastard as a boss.

[Rhiannon12866]

8. You're completely right, he sees himself as a "martyr" for his cause

"I'm being indicted for you!" And this is, yet again, intended to incite his deluded "followers" - as he did on January 6th.

[MagaSmash]

9. You nailed it. If 5 people riot; they'll get to discover the pleasures of a JAIL CELL.

[BOSSHOG]

10. He ain't special

“I often hear politicians of both parties braying about nobody being above the law. Okay. I’m good with that.

[Rhiannon12866]

13. We keep hearing that, but then he gets worse. What does it take?!

[wnylib]

14. It looks like, so far, judges have bent over backwards

to avoid the appearance of jailing a political candidate, even though Trump has broken the terms of his release repeatedly and any other person would have been detained until trial for the same behavior.

I understand the gravity of making such a decision in a democracy because it gives the appearance of silencing optical opposition. Trump, of course, is playing that card. It would have been much better if he had been detained earlier, before he had a chance to ratchet up the threats and develop a dedicated revenge group among his followers. Now there is the problem of making him a martyr and a rallying point for violent reactions. Judges have to weigh many factors in their decisions. I think that consequences to society are probably a part of what they consider regarding Trump now.

This situation reminds me of a case in British history when difficult decisions had to be made and the consequences would be very serious for society and for accepted law of the time period regardless of which way the decision went. I'm thinking of Queen Elizabeth I of England and Mary, Queen of Scots. Scottish lords had forced Mary to abdicate the Scottish throne. Mary fled to England for asylum.

Mary was Elizabeth's younger cousin and therefore in line to become the next English ruler after Elizabeth. But Mary was Catholic. Elizabeth and England were Protestant. Catholic countries wanted to overthrow Elizabeth. In England, Mary became a focal person for anti Elizabeth feeling. Elizabeth had Mary kept under arrest at various castles in England to keep her under control. Elizabeth knew that arresting Mary had the possible consequence of making Mary a political martyr to her followers. But not arresting Mary ran the risk of letting her continue efforts to overthrow Elizabeth.

Mary used servants during her arrest to deliver letters in a secret plot, with help from Catholic nations, to invade England and assassinate Elizabeth. The letter delivery system was actually under control by Elizabeth's spies and the letters became evidence for Mary to be tried and convicted of plotting against England and Elizabeth. The sentence was death, but only Elizabeth could order it to be carried out.

Another difficult decision for Elizabeth. Mary was her cousin and heir to the throne. To execute a fellow monarch was a dangerous precedent for the time period. Plus, it was personal since Elizabeth's own mother had been executed by Elizabeth's father. To further complicate the decision, Elizabeth knew that Spain would invade in retaliation if she executed Mary. But, if she didn't execute her, Spain would invade on Mary's behalf.

Mary was executed, Spain attacked England, but was defeated by the English Navy with civilian assistance before the Spanish ships could land. England took Spain's place as ruler of the seas.

I see similarities in weighing the consequences of legal decisions to arrest and convict a political rival who wants to overthrow the government. Arrest and conviction carries the risk of rebellious retaliation by the perpetrator's followers. But not arresting the head of the plot to overthrow the government allows the overthrow to continue and succeed. In the case of Elizabeth and Mary, the risks included foreign interference. In the modern case with Trump, there is also a problem of foreign interference.