“North Elba GOP condemns Trump indictment.”

I read with great dismay the above headline in the Enterprise Tuesday. The North Elba GOP committee has apparently decided to take a specifically political stance in the case being brought against Mr. Donald Trump in Manhattan. They argue that it is District Attorney Alvin Bragg that is being “political” in bringing this case but it is in fact the North Elba GOP committee that is taking a political stance in a case that has no local impact.

While the DA presents the argument for an indictment in a case such as this, it is a grand jury made up of citizens of the local community that ultimately hands down the indictment in any such case.

We don’t always agree with the decisions of a grand jury, but our legal system involves a review of the facts by a jury of our peers. In this case, the grand jury believed that there was sufficient information to bring this case to trial before a regular jury. After a full trial with presentation by both the prosecution and the defense that a new jury of peers will determine the guilt or innocence of Mr. Trump of the charges for which he is now indicted.

We also learned Monday of another grand jury decision in Akron, Ohio that determined that there was insufficient evidence to indict eight police officers of the use of undo force against a Black man who was stopped for an alleged defective license plate light but was subsequently killed by those same police officers, who fired over 90 rounds at him and struck him more than 40 times, and who still chose to handcuff his lifeless body while lying on the ground. Would it be any more or less appropriate for the North Elba GOP committee to voice a position regarding that case?

During the 2016 election, Mr. Trump repeatedly led chants of “Lock her up” referring to his opponent, Ms. Clinton. During the 2020 election, he repeatedly called for investigation and arrest of Mr. Biden, his opponent. Where was the outcry about those tactics being “politically motivated.” Were those instances any more or less “political harassment” than the current situation?

Our legal system is, at times, cumbersome. It often does not result in the decisions that we individually might wish to see but it does guarantee every person the right to be evaluated by their peers. We all need to sit back and let the system play out and then ultimately accept the result. If we never allow a political candidate to face possible trial for alleged crimes, we are somehow placing politicians above all of the rest of us and that would be truly un-American. Remember, Mr. Trump told us during the 2016 campaign that he could walk down Fifth Avenue and shoot someone in broad daylight and never be convicted of a crime. Maybe, just maybe, he is finally going to realize that even he is subject to the rule of law and has to face the system head on. He may win this case, but he still has several others to look forward to, including in Fulton County, Georgia, for alleged election tampering (“just find me 11,780 votes”), in the Department of Justice for possible incitement to riot for his actions leading up to and on Jan. 6, and for his manipulation of valuations of property in New York state relating to possible bank fraud and tax fraud.

If we want to keep politics out of all these cases, let us ask politicians not involved with the litigation to be quiet and allow the system to work it’s way through the cases. If anyone truly feels that they need to take a stand on any legal case, they can file an amicus brief and state their opinion but it should not be argued in the press or in blogs.

— — —

Dr. David Welch is a resident of Lake Placid.