WEBVTT - Trump Attacks Our Justice System Everyday. Even His Critics Must Ensure a Fair Trial

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<v Speaker 1>There is a solemn obligation that these jurors and prospective

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<v Speaker 1>jurors are being asked to perform. And this includes importantly

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<v Speaker 1>people who disdain the idea of Donald Trump returning to

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<v Speaker 1>political power. But the criminal trial is not a proxy

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<v Speaker 1>for an election. It is not a substitute for the

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<v Speaker 1>will of the American people. A criminal trial is exactly that,

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<v Speaker 1>a criminal trial. This is a moment where Donald Trump's

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<v Speaker 1>fiercest critics must be his most vociferous defenders for a

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<v Speaker 1>fair trial, because the system that he attacked cannot be denigrated.

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<v Speaker 1>It is Monday, April fifteenth, twenty twenty four. This is

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<v Speaker 1>the warning. There are two hundred and four days remaining

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<v Speaker 1>until the American people will decide who is in command.

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<v Speaker 1>During the most dangerous hours the world has seen, perhaps

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<v Speaker 1>since the Cuban missile crisis, or perhaps nineteen seventy three.

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<v Speaker 1>In the Middle East, what happened this past weekend was unprecedented.

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<v Speaker 1>Iran made a declaration that it's prepared to wage war

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<v Speaker 1>against Israel and the United States in the clear light

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<v Speaker 1>of day. The war that has gone on between Israel

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<v Speaker 1>and Iran has escaped from the shadows and now a

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<v Speaker 1>great question hangs over the Israeli war Cabinet, the situation room,

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<v Speaker 1>in the White House, all of the world capitals, of

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<v Speaker 1>all of the democratic powers. There is a coalition of

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<v Speaker 1>chaos and men that is merging, coming together, that is prodding, poking,

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<v Speaker 1>testing the resolve of the free world. Eighty years on

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<v Speaker 1>from the day that will soon be recognized and honored,

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<v Speaker 1>the invasion of Europe d Day, June sixth, nineteen forty four.

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<v Speaker 1>This access of Iran, of North Korea, of Russia and

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<v Speaker 1>China is menacing. It's probing, it's probing, prodding in the Philippines,

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<v Speaker 1>in Taiwan. Russia is fueling instability all over the world,

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<v Speaker 1>while every night It's missiles and drones assault the sovereignty

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<v Speaker 1>and the peace of Ukraine. Vladimir Putin and his propagandists

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<v Speaker 1>promised the use of nuclear weapons on a weekly basis.

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<v Speaker 1>Vladimir Putin has made a declaration that wherever Russia is spoken,

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<v Speaker 1>is Russia, and that there are no permanent international boundaries

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<v Speaker 1>so far as it is concerning where Russian is spoken.

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<v Speaker 1>Iran is the world's pre eminent force of chaos. Its

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<v Speaker 1>proxies are firing missiles into international shipping lanes, targeting the

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<v Speaker 1>ships of dozens of countries, delaying the transfer of goods

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<v Speaker 1>throughout the world. They are the full manners of terror

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<v Speaker 1>and chaos, the principal backers of Hamas and Hezbolah. They

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<v Speaker 1>are the world's leading exporterers of terror, and they have

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<v Speaker 1>a close relationship and close with North Korea. This access

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<v Speaker 1>is powerful. It is formidable Iranian drones or used by

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<v Speaker 1>Russians to attack Ukrainian cities. There is communication, there is coordination.

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<v Speaker 1>There is a commitment amongst these countries to bring down

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<v Speaker 1>the world order that has existed since the world was rebuilt.

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<v Speaker 1>After it was brought to the brink of ruin, Europe

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<v Speaker 1>was shattered and much of Asia. Upwards of eighty five

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<v Speaker 1>million people were killed all over the world just eighty

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<v Speaker 1>years ago. And all of this, the great escalation that

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<v Speaker 1>took coincides with the criminal trial of Donald Trump, the

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<v Speaker 1>Republican nominee, the MAGA nominee, the former president of the

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<v Speaker 1>United States hush money trial for paying off a porn

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<v Speaker 1>star Stormy Daniels many years ago. The trial will play

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<v Speaker 1>out in the Manhattan District Court. The prosecution is led

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<v Speaker 1>by the District Attorney mister Alvin Bragg, and jury selection

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<v Speaker 1>has begun. A great test is underway that in the end,

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<v Speaker 1>when the jury is seated, they will have to swear

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<v Speaker 1>an oath, and Donald Trump's freedom is utterly dependent on

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<v Speaker 1>the fidelity of those American citizens to that oath. When

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<v Speaker 1>that jury is seated, the twelve people will share one

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<v Speaker 1>thing in common, not their se exergender or their political views.

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<v Speaker 1>It is their citizenship. Everybody who sits on the jury

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<v Speaker 1>will be an American citizen. Donald Trump took an oath,

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<v Speaker 1>he desecrated it. His oath was thirty five words. It's

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<v Speaker 1>the only oath of office that's actually prescribed in the

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<v Speaker 1>American Constitution. Trump promised to preserve, protect, and defend the

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<v Speaker 1>Constitution of the United States, which calls for the assignment

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<v Speaker 1>of political power through the outcome of elections, which Donald

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<v Speaker 1>Trump lost, but refused to concede and triggered an insurrection

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<v Speaker 1>and assault, a criminal act, violence, mayhem, and chaos, bloodying

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<v Speaker 1>the peaceful transition of power, humiliating the United States on

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<v Speaker 1>the world stage. Now, the jurors in the Trump trial

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<v Speaker 1>will not be asked a question about whether they think

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<v Speaker 1>Donald Trump is a good president or a bad president

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<v Speaker 1>or even a good person or a bad person. The

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<v Speaker 1>jurors will be asked a question in the end, and

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<v Speaker 1>it is whether they can be faithful, have integrity towards

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<v Speaker 1>an idea of impartiality. Are they able to put their

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<v Speaker 1>prejudices aside we all have them, and be fair and

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<v Speaker 1>do their duty, duty, obligation, responsibility. Freedom is a non

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<v Speaker 1>sense word without these concepts, and the American criminal justice

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<v Speaker 1>system relies not on politics but on justice, on the

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<v Speaker 1>notion that justice is blind. And so a jury of

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<v Speaker 1>Donald Trump's peers will be seated and let us understand

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<v Speaker 1>something immediately. Manhattan is where Donald Trump's peers are. He is,

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<v Speaker 1>if anything, a New Yorker. He is known there and

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<v Speaker 1>famous there for a generation before anybody had seen their

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<v Speaker 1>first Apprentice episode, an eon, before his political aspirations were clear,

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<v Speaker 1>or even before he made his first appearance on The

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<v Speaker 1>Howard Stern Show. New Yorkers will be asked a question,

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<v Speaker 1>and it has to do with the functioning of the

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<v Speaker 1>American justice system. Can a jury be assembled of citizens

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<v Speaker 1>that can be impartial towards the most famous man of

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<v Speaker 1>the age, the dominant figure in the culture. Can they

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<v Speaker 1>understand intellectually, morally that Donald Trump is presumed innocent. This

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<v Speaker 1>is not an occasion for anybody to be rooting for

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<v Speaker 1>political outcomes. This is not a baseball game, This is

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<v Speaker 1>not the masters, and it's not a certain It's a

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<v Speaker 1>criminal trial, and it's a serious matter for any citizen

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<v Speaker 1>who sits there accused by the state, with a risk

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<v Speaker 1>of losing their freedom, of being incarcerated by the state

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<v Speaker 1>threw an assault on him where the ends are justified

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<v Speaker 1>by the means. No justice requires justice, and the American

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<v Speaker 1>system is not a kangaroo court. Donald Trump attacks our

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<v Speaker 1>system of justice every day. He promises chaos and mayhem

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<v Speaker 1>and violence in the streets. He promises retribution and revenge

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<v Speaker 1>and imprisonment for his political foes who exercise their God

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<v Speaker 1>given constitutional rights to speech, to conscience, to political as activity,

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<v Speaker 1>including denunciations of his misconduct, his aberrant behavior, his insanity,

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<v Speaker 1>and his manifest on fitness for authority, power and control

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<v Speaker 1>of anything anyone at any time ever. But the trial

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<v Speaker 1>ahead is just that, a trial, and everybody who looks

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<v Speaker 1>at Donald Trump and worries about his return to power

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<v Speaker 1>should understand that these trials have not hurt Donald Trump politically.

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<v Speaker 1>The jury proverbially speaking, is out on that question. We'll

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<v Speaker 1>see in the end, but for now, if anything they've

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<v Speaker 1>cut in Trump benefit towards his direction. Now here's the thing.

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<v Speaker 1>Nobody's above the law in America, but nobody's below it either,

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<v Speaker 1>including Donald Trump. This is an important moment for the

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<v Speaker 1>whole country, as the whole of the world stands at

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<v Speaker 1>the edge of an abyss. Eighty years on from the

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<v Speaker 1>end of a global war. The world, it seems, has

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<v Speaker 1>forgotten many of the lessons learned by the horror in

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<v Speaker 1>the blood of nearly one hundred million dead. So here

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<v Speaker 1>we are, on this April fifteenth, when the American people

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<v Speaker 1>pay a multitude of their hard earned money to the

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<v Speaker 1>American government, watching a criminal trial of a former disgrace president,

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<v Speaker 1>a hush money trial involving a level of clawdriness that

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<v Speaker 1>is epic, empathetic and tragic. Then, yeah, a little funny.

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<v Speaker 1>But in a moment when the world is at a

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<v Speaker 1>dangerous edge, in a dangerous hour that is growing darker,

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<v Speaker 1>the winds are blowing, catastrophe is in the air. American

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<v Speaker 1>people have indulged a lot of madness, a lot of frivolousness,

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of insanity in the hour. For all the fun,

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<v Speaker 1>it seems to me seems to be coming to a

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<v Speaker 1>pretty decisive end. So appreciate today the split screen ahead

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<v Speaker 1>World War III to the right and the porn star

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<v Speaker 1>hush money trial to the left. Neither one is a joke.

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<v Speaker 1>Both are utterly real, and both are happening. What will

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<v Speaker 1>you do about it? If anything? Two hundred and four

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<v Speaker 1>days to go until the man on trial could be

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<v Speaker 1>the most powerful man in the world. Again, that's not

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<v Speaker 1>a criminal trial question, that's not a jury question. That's

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<v Speaker 1>a political question, and we all get a vote on that.

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<v Speaker 1>That is the great part about being an American. Thank

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<v Speaker 1>you for listening to my political commentary. If you like

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<v Speaker 1>what you heard today, please also consider subscribing to the

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<v Speaker 1>Warning Daily newsletter on substack.