Text by Bob Shell, Copyright 2024
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Trump and Me
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I’m writing this late at night after watching the coverage of Donald Trump’s criminal trial for weeks on NewsNation. Today Donald Trump joined me as a convicted felon. Like me, Trump was tried by a corrupt prosecutor, judge, and jury. With such flimsy cases, neither of us should ever have been charged, much less brought to trial.
Anyone who reads my posts here knows that I do not like Donald Trump. I think he is a crook and a danger to democracy. But he is right that this case was political persecution, pure and simple. Alvin Bragg, the NY prosecutor, ran for office on the promise that he would ‘get’ Donald Trump. He did, to his political advantage. He wants to run for governor of NY State, and he will surely use this ridiculous conviction to his political advantage.
One important way in which Trump and I differ is that the day I was convicted I was not allowed to go home and remain there until sentencing. Trump went home to Trump Towers, I went to jail. I was convicted of six felonies; Trump was convicted of thirty-four! Equal treatment? Sure! My request for an appeal bond was summarily denied by a judge who obviously hated me; Trump just walked out of the courtroom and went home. While my six convictions would normally have resulted in concurrent sentences, this hateful judge ran my sentences consecutively! Rather than seven years, I got thirty-two and a half years! The judge emphasized that this meant “one after the other.” That was clearly punitive and not justified by the charges.
Trump’s defense called the prosecution’s main witness, Michael Cohen, the GLOAT, The Greatest Liar of All Time. I would call the medical examiner who testified at my trial the GLOAT! Everything he said on the stand was a lie. Without his false, perjured testimony I could not have been charged, much less convicted.
Anyone interested in full details of the prosecution witnesses who lied under oath can find the sordid details at http://bobshelltruth.com
If I sound angry, I am. I am on my 17th year in prison for something that simply never happened. In that sense Trump and I are different. The events he was convicted for did happen, but were misdemeanors at best. We were both convicted by a ‘justice system’ that has been politicized. It is long since time for judicial reform. The system is broken, badly broken. When a corrupt prosecutor can convict someone simply because he does not like him or his lifestyle, our whole system is under threat. Never believe it can’t happen to you; it can.
There is a very important reason why, even if elected, Donald Trump cannot serve as president of the USA.
I have not heard this mentioned by any of the political pundits on TV. Just like me, Trump is now a convicted felon. A convicted felon cannot get a security clearance. That is the law.
It is essential for a president to function that he have a high level security clearance. Without it, he cannot receive regular security briefings that every president must receive and cannot attend cabinet meetings where classified material is viewed and discussed. He could not have received any of those classified documents that were in all those boxes at his estate in Florida.
Simply put, he could not function as President. I would like the Republican Party to exp!ain how Trump can deal with foreign or domestic policy in the dark, as he would be. His vice president, yet to be named, or any government official could not even discuss classified matters with him.
This is not a petty, nitpicking matter, like so many others that the Democrats have raised, it is a central point of the presidency. This, like so much with Donald Trump, has never come up before in the history of the United States.
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About The Author: Bob Shell is a professional photographer, author, former editor in chief of Shutterbug Magazine and veteran contributor to this blog. He is currently serving a 35 year sentence for involuntary manslaughter for the death of Marion Franklin, one of his former models. He is serving the 17th year of his sentence at Pocahontas State Correctional Facility, Virginia. To read additional articles by Bob Shell link here: https://tonyward.com/bob-shell-aap-what-are-they/