Is Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg putting the life of a presidential candidate at risk? Fox News host Jesse Watters says yes.
On Tuesday eveningās edition of āThe Five,ā Watters said putting former President Donald Trump ā whoās seeking the office again in 2024 ā in a specific place at a specific date for his arraignment gave any number of crazies who want to take a shot at him the opportunity to do so.
In the meantime, Watters said, the money required to have the requisite security in New York City for a former president and current candidate is insane ā all for charges that are dubious at best.
Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree Tuesday in Manhattan Criminal Court.
This would normally be a misdemeanor in the state of New York, which means the charges ā which relate to how nondisclosure agreement payments were made to three individuals, including porn star Stormy Daniels, during the 2016 campaign ā would be long past the two-year statute of limitations that misdemeanors carry in the state.
Braggās argument is the alleged violations are a felony because the falsifications were to conceal another crime: federal elections violations. The issue, of course, is that Bragg doesnāt have federal jurisdiction.
Thatāll be for the courts to work out.Ā In the meantime, thereās the ācircusā to contend with, Watters noted.
āHeās spending how many millions of dollars on this circus?ā the Fox News host said. āHeās shutting down the FDR Drive. Heās hiring how many police officers? How much manpower is going into the DAās office on this case alone?
āMeanwhile, youāve got a crime wave out here, and he has the nerve to come out and say he doesnāt want to normalize crime. Cāmon, man!ā
Watters was referring to remarks made by Bragg in the wake of the indictment being unsealed.
āUnder New York state law is a felony to falsify business records with intent to defraud and intent to conceal another crime. That is exactly what this case is about. 34 false statements made to cover up other crimes,ā Bragg said, according to Fox News.
āThese are felony crimes in New York State. No matter who you are, we cannot and will not normalize serious criminal conduct.ā
Ironic, of course, given that Bragg was the man who briefly stopped charging certain armed robberies as felonies until public outcry led to a reversal. But I digress.
Trumpās next scheduled appearance is on Dec. 4 ā which, to Watters, creates a security threat.
āAnd Iāve got to tell you: Youāre putting Donald Trumpās life in danger. Youāre setting him up and advertising to the entire world, āThe former president of the United States, the Republican nominee for the presidency, is gonna be at this location, at this time, on this date,'ā he said.
The Fox News host misspoke: Trump isnāt the 2024 GOP nominee. However, he is the front-runner right now.
āAnd youāve got towers, and youāve got windows,ā Watters continued. āYou think thatās good for this country? To put a man like that in a certain location Dec. 4? And then, what if it goes to trial? He has to be there every day. You think the Secret Service wants that?
āThat is dangerous. And he is playing a dangerous game.ā
Fox News federal law enforcement producer Jake Gibson said in a segment TuesdayĀ that Trumpās legal team āhinted that maybe they didnāt want him to come to that hearing.ā
āThe judge said it was good if he would come to these hearings, the jury, if there eventually is a trial, would want to see him,ā Gibson continued.
āAnd the defense said, right, but think of all the money that is spent ā with this, today, and how much of the burden is put on the city,ā he said.
Gibson said Judge Juan Merchan āseemed to agree that it was a serious burden, but that he still thought Mr. Trump should attend, and he denied their request that maybe if he didnāt want to attend the Dec. 4 hearing. He said maybe in the future, weād let him out of one, but this ā Iād like to see him at the Dec. 4 hearing.ā
Wattersā concerns about Trumpās safety garnered mockery from left-wing Twitter:
But the Fox News host has a point. Federal courtrooms, while indeed designed to handle high-profile cases, are not designed to handle former presidents or current presidential candidates.
Furthermore, they arenāt intended to handle them day after day, as a trial would indeed necessitate.
Presidential rallies, which are far more controlled environments, are announced with much less lead time and at venues where securing a president or presidential candidate is of the utmost importance.
Think, for instance, if the next Lee Harvey Oswald or Sirhan Sirhan was given eight months lead time ā far longer than most rallies or presidential visits ā to plan for an assassination attempt in a venue or area not necessarily designed for the high level of security normally afforded politicians.
And then think that this is in one of the most liberal cities in the country.
Do you think that doesnāt lower the odds for a nutcase would-be assassin? It certainly doesnāt make it more difficult for them, and Iād argue it becomes a whole lot easier for a psychopath with a political cause.
Or, look at it another way: If leftists think Wattersā point is ludicrous, surely they canāt argue lawmakers in the Capitol were in any danger on Jan. 6, 2021. After all, they were in a building specifically designed for the security of high-profile politicians on a day when people knew the Electoral College was to be certified. There was no danger at all, then, was there?
And thus I expect to see these very same people sardonically correcting New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez the next time she starts weeping about how she was almost killed that day.
Whatever the case, Watters is unquestionably right about one thing: Securing Trump if this goes to trial will take boatloads of money, all over a trivial case thatās about raising Alvin Braggās profile and tying up Democratic enemy No. 1, not enforcing the law.
After all, if this were about law enforcement, Bragg would be nowhere to be found. Now, suddenly, the prosecutorial version of Abbie Hoffman has turned into a regular Joe Friday.
Itās not hard to imagine why, and itās not hard to imagine how much itās going to cost to keep the defendant safe.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
