President Trump’s Commute of Roger Stone a Flagrant Denigration of Democracy & Justice
There have been few moments in my life when a headline sinks my heart deep into my stomach. President Trump’s commute of long-time personal confidant, Roger Stone, is one of those moments. Yes, I know it might seem small in the grand scheme of Trump’s unpredictable Presidency, but what we are witnessing is a new terrifying precedent.
July 10th, 2020 will forever be memorialized as a day when President Trump damaged the ability of our justice system to hold the powerful and well-connected accountable for even the most obvious lawlessness.
This is a dangerous erosion of American democracy and permanent stain on justice. It does not matter what political faction you identify with or the news station that which you subscribe. No President–Democrat or Republican–should meddle in investigations that involve their own personal interests.
It does not matter whether or not Roger Stone deserved such a commute, rather, our President interfering with the justice system to protect his interests is a new line crossed where fascism infects democracy. Stone has the right to challenge his sentence, but that is the job of his personal lawyers and and an impartial court.
This is not about politics at all. It is not about left, right, or center. If you take tribalism and bias out of the situation, it is objectively and undeniably a dangerous moment in American history.
If a police chief squashes investigations into their family, that is corruption. If a judge uses their gavel to shield their business from an inquiry, that is corruption. If a Democratic governor were to threaten a District Attorney from digging into campaign finance fraud, that is corruption. We can recognize these examples as such because they are farther removed from our political biases.
A President interfering with the justice system to protect his interests is a new line crossed where fascism infects democracy.
The commute of Roger Stone’s sentence is, in every sense of the word, corruption. Take the flashy personalities, divisive tribalism, and massive egos out of the complex political equation. There is legitimately no way to avoid acknowledging the truth: This is a flagrant denigration of justice in the name of political motivation.
For a moment, envision an America where Hillary Clinton is President today. In this parallel universe, Bill Clinton was just investigated for his potential involvement in covering up Jeffree Epstein’s child sex-trafficking ring. Now, how would you feel if she were to commute a theoretical sentence issued to her husband? While this scenario is imaginary, the idea of corruption lurking in the Clinton dynasty is certainly not far fetched. In this instance, I would be calling for her impeachment.
Unfortunately, the Democrats utterly botched impeachment earlier this year and now have zero leverage to hold this administration accountable. Mr. Trump understands this and it is precisely why we are seeing such blatant diversions from American norms.
I know people who overlook his erratic and unpresidential behavior in support of implementing conservative policy. But I cannot fathom the rationale to ignore this type of corruption from the highest office in the land.
What happens if Joe Biden wins in November? Will those connected to the Biden inner-circle then have absolute presidential immunity? I do not think Republicans, with their obsession over Hunter Biden, want to endorse such a precedent.
I want our country to have a system of justice that respects equality. A system that disregards how much power an individual possesses and works to hold everyone accountable for breaking the law.
Far before Trump, the American criminal justice system has shown an inability to ignore one’s power, status, and identity. But today, we see how dangerous it is to hand over the reins of a deeply flawed system to a man who values self-interest over the prosperity of America.
In November, we are not simply voting for ideology. Our vote is not just for the kind of policy we wish to be enacted nor the types of Supreme Court Justices who ought to be nominated. On November 3rd, we have to ask ourselves what kind of morals we endorse and the America we feel comfortable leaving for a new generation.
Today, we see how dangerous it is to hand over the reins of a deeply flawed system to a man who values self-interest over the prosperity of America.
As a diehard Sanders supporter in the previous two nominating cycles, I have been incredibly vocal about my distaste for Joe Biden. As the democratic primary heated up in February, I made a promise to myself that I would never vote for someone who refuses to support my core political beliefs.
I was a Never Biden voter. In terms of policy, Trump and Biden have more in common than Biden and myself. However, I am breaking that February promise. At the end of the day, I cannot endorse four more years of the most egregious attacks on democracy that were previously imaginable.
