I think house arrest and/or parole makes the most sense here. Politically and in reality. Somehow, he's a first offender. Make him pay to check into a dirty office in NYC once a week, pee in a cup, promise he hasn't spoken to any other known felons since his last parole check in...
Denies him the martyrdom of a few months in jail, as well as the inane drama he would inevitably force out of it.
As much as I would love to see him in jail, as much as he deserves it.... Drug tests and maybe an ankle bracelet would be more realistic.
Secret service's #1 job is the security of their protectee. While it usually comes up regarding children, the SS will turn a blind eye to any of their misdeeds. This is because the very last thing they want is for the protectee to ditch their protection.
As an example, the SS was present (albeit at a slight distance) when the Bush girls were arrested for underage drinking.
If Trump is using drugs, he does so with the SS' awareness. Although that might create a logistical problem with dealers...
I heard Gerald Ford's son talk about being on Spring Break and a fellow breaker came up to him and whispered,"Man, I don't know what you did, but you have some Feds watching everything you do!!"
That's not really part of their mission. SS is traditionally a completely non-partisan role. They are not lackeys, just protectors.
Trump may (and will) bitch about it, but he'll either abide by the terms of his probation or go to jail. If that means supervised drug tests, then that's what he'll have to do.
Offenders don't really get a whole of say in the matter once it gets past the court system.
I want to know how being around guns is supposed to work with the Secret Service. Had a buddy go back in because his parole officer made a surprise visit and, unknown to him, his buddy had stuck a pistol in the sofa. Straight back to prison.
I'm sure the judge can make an exception, unless that sort of thing is a statute?
Hopefully the secret service aren't stashing their guns between the sofa cushions.
It's probably not too different from if your buddy has gone into a police station to report a crime. He shouldn't have his parole violated for being near the guns that the police are carrying.
I imagine the drug being in someone else’s physical possession makes a difference. People (thankfully and reasonably) aren’t charged for guns the police have in their possession during their arrest, for example.
I'm only interested in prison in the Federal cases, and that will only happen if and when he loses the election. After that I want Jack Smith to go full gloves off on the classified documents case, force the 11th circuits hand to recuse Loose Cannon, and then sit his fucking ass in court where they are pushing for life in prison without the possibility of parole. Then he can sit in his special cell all by himself with his secret service detail while he slowly rots from the inside out.
Locking him up over this conviction will only serve to embolden him, and win him sympathy amongst low information voters. Getting a conviction for colluding to retain state secrets, and potentially selling them to foreign actors is a whole different ball game chief. None of the prosecutions that matter are getting done before the election. That is just the fucking facts. I want him getting fisted in the ass with no lube by the Justice Department, and throwing him in jail now guarantees that never happens. Use your brain.
Locking him up over this conviction will only serve to embolden him
"Can't do anything because the person who whines about everything including winning will use it to rile up his stupid base" is the dumbest whataboutism bullshit. Continuing to not do anything hasn't worked out for the last eight years, why the hell do you think it will work this time?
Use your brain.
Your plan gives his base ammunition because he can say that if he was a real criminal he would be in jail. Use your brain!
If they sentence him to prison now, he will never see the inside of a cell before the election. It only helps his cause. You are so god damn naive if you don't think that is the case. I'm looking for hard fucking time, no more pussyfooting, no more saber ratling. In order to do that he has to first lose the election, and then get bent over by the DOJ. That is the only way we have a chance of getting justice. If you don't believe that then that's on you, but you are 1000% fucking wrong.
It helps his cause among a small number of MAGA hatters to the point that a few of them will probably get violent. It does not help him among the Republicans who are passively accepting Trump, or anyone else.
It does not help him among the Republicans who are passively accepting Trump, or anyone else.
See, you say that, but that is a historically illiterate perspective. The guy feeds on the medias negativity bias towards him. It literally makes him stronger because the entire Republican media apparatus is now designed to spin any criticism or bad news about him into another attack vector for them to further erode democracy. Their messaging is so overwhelming that this firehose of falsehoods strategy has become unquestionably effective. It no longer matters what the facts are, it's only about the vibes.
So let me tell you how this is going to go: Trump is going to win because he is the ultimate martyr of white victimhood. The poor white working class will burn this country to the fucking ground before they allow anyone else to be doing perceptually better than them en masse. These people truly believe that the only thing better than helping someone up is standing on their fucking head and watching them drown. So, he is going to win because the American experiment has failed. You can take that to the bank because you know deep down I am exactly right.