Readers are split on Trump guilty verdict at end of trial | Letters – Detroit Free Press
Late Thursday afternoon, a New York jury found former President Donald Trump guilty of 34 felony charges related to a hush-money payment to cover up a sex scandal. Trump is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
Here’s what Free Press readers had to say about it:
Amid all the shouting, let’s try to put Trump’s conviction in context. Yes, he was tried in Manhattan, but there are Republicans in Manhattan. All Trump needed to do was to induce a single juror to have a reasonable doubt.
He couldn’t, not on even one of the 34 counts. If you tally each individual juror, that’s a 408-0 rate. This case is seen as the weakest of the four he’s facing.
All of this has to count for something. Ask yourself — if this were any other criminal defendant receiving a verdict this emphatic, would you be willing to at least entertain the possibility of guilt? I would.
John Abdenour
New Haven, Connecticut
I am deeply concerned about the recent guilty verdict against former President Donald Trump.
It appears that Matthew Colangelo, a former senior Biden Justice Department official, has played a significant role in this case. His involvement raises serious questions about the impartiality of the legal process.
Colangelo’s transition from the Biden Administration to having a hand in prosecuting Trump may suggest a politically motivated attempt to undermine the leading Republican presidential candidate.
This use of the legal system against a political opponent would set a dangerous precedent and could erode public trust in our judicial institutions. It’s imperative that we maintain the integrity of our legal system and ensure that justice is administered without political interference.
Kevin Zielinski
Ann Arbor
More from Freep opinion:Trump was found guilty in hush-money trial. Let’s take the win.
We need a new system for prosecuting a president. The grievance should be sent to the U.S. Supreme Court, which will decide whether the charge is valid, and then rule on that charge if it is valid. This would eliminate the odor of banana-republic-style political prosecutions.
Richard Presley
Taylor
The guilty verdict is well deserved. However, the most telling aspect of this historical moment will be in what our country will/won’t allow moving forward.
Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was convicted of crimes that forbid him from running for mayor again. Now we have a former president convicted on 34 felonies and there’s little to no accountability in allowing him to run for the highest office in our country.
It’s a telling state of the country when you have so many people who support his foolishness.
David Greenwood
Farmington Hills
I salute the guilty Trump verdict, as do millions of other Americans who believe in the old-fashioned, bedrock U.S. notion of equality under the law. This was a verdict not of a judge or a Democratic district attorney, but a jury of 12 fellow citizens from all walks of life. Every last one was approved of by the defense.
The system in this case is expressly not rigged, no matter what Trump falsely claims.
The only case now before the American people is whether they have the courage and self-respect to reject a convicted felon and liar as their president.
TR Ford
Ann Arbor
More from Freep opinion:I was Detroit’s police chief. Joe Biden has failed our community.
The Republicans are vocal in their outrage over Trump being guilty on all 34 counts. But we aren’t hearing any of his supporters saying they don’t believe he did the things he was charged with.
Instead, they want to shoot the messenger. So, it seems that if an ordinary person were to do these things it would be a crime?
John Hudson
Ypsilanti
The unanimous verdict by American citizens has somewhat renewed my faith in the American justice system. But I fear that the sentencing phase will undermine the message when a wealthy politician receives probation or home confinement in his luxury home.
A man like Trump, who has demonstrated pervasive contempt of court and ongoing denials and lies about his criminal activity, deserves a maximum prison sentence, regardless of the cost or logistics of incarcerating a convicted former president.
Trump has shown no remorse for his criminal acts nor his harm and expense to others and taxpayers. The parade of spineless, opportunistic supporters who blather support for him are equally disgusting. I hope our democracy survives intact.
Mike Fetzer
Clarkston
Send us a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters, and we may publish your thoughts online or in print.