Another day. Another indictment. Another act!
One day last week, I can鈥檛 remember which one, Donald Trump didn鈥檛 get indicted!
Otherwise, the book they keep throwing at him 鈥� gets more dog-eared daily.
I think it鈥檚 getting interesting because the more prosecutors prosecute him, the more he screams he鈥檚 the target of abuse. He鈥檚 the perpetual victim; always getting abused by Democrats, or the libs, or Hillary, or Obama, or 鈥淪leepy鈥� Joe Biden with his out-of-control Department of Justice.
It鈥檚 an act that鈥檚 gotten old.
Many folks may have forgotten how, in 2016, he was prepared to declare that year鈥檚 presidential election was 鈥渞igged,鈥� long before a single ballot had been cast.
He even made sure to form a committee to look into why he鈥檇 lost the popular vote by 2,868,686 votes to a woman he frequently claimed should have been 鈥� locked up鈥� 鈥� Hillary Clinton.
He wasn鈥檛 satisfied with a commanding, 77 electoral vote victory. He wanted to prove he was far more popular than Hillary.
The committee didn鈥檛 find anything wrong with the popular vote count before it quietly disbanded.
In 2020, after Trump got walloped in the popular vote (by 7,059,526 votes) and the electoral vote (by 74 votes) 鈥� he set about trying to prove that the universal arithmetic model doesn鈥檛 apply to him. (Two is more than one; three is more than two. I could go on. But I鈥檓 guessing you get the point.)
His refusal to admit that the American voter in 2020 just wasn鈥檛 as enamored with him, as he is with himself (or something like that) 鈥� has led him to become familiar with courthouses and court proceedings all over the country.
Consequently, the wheels of justice are letting him know, once again, that he lost the 2020 election by a lot. And that by failing to take his lumps; move on with the rest of his life and settle into a life of near-obscurity like some ex-presidents do 鈥� he could be facing jail time.
So far, there are indictments in three separate cases. There could be another set of indictments coming from the state of Georgia soon.
Mr. Trump has learned that indictments are great for his campaign fund-raising. He鈥檚 a master of the 鈥渨oe is me鈥� style of stump speech.
If he鈥檚 being attacked on all sides, he鈥檒l tell you, then he must be doing something right.
But he hardly ever is.
He鈥檚 just being a martyr 鈥� for more campaign cash.
Of course, he鈥檚 innocent until proven guilty. Which is more than Trump and his MAGA supporters are giving President Biden and his son Hunter.
They鈥檙e getting more desperate to prove that Joe and Hunter have been in cahoots in some nefarious schemes to make tons of cash.
Last week, just before Trump鈥檚 latest indictment, Republicans hauled Hunter Biden鈥檚 ex-business partner before a congressional committee for the express purpose of getting him to admit the Bidens had pocketed zillions of dollars illegally.
Instead, that ex-business partner 鈥� Devon Archer 鈥� failed to produce the expected 鈥渆vidence.鈥�
According to Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY),鈥︹�滺e was unaware, had no knowledge of any $5 million payment made to either Hunter Biden or to Joe Biden, and would be shocked if that actually existed.鈥�
Of course, Republicans saw Archer鈥檚 testimony completely differently.
Over on Fox News, Trump鈥檚 leading advocate 鈥� Sean Hannity 鈥� asked James Comer (R-Ky), the chairman of the House Oversight Committee if he felt Archer鈥檚 testimony proved Joe Biden and his son had been on the take.
鈥溾�nswer yes or no? Do you believe that this is now officially the Joe Biden bribery allegation,鈥� asked Hannity.
(He was looking for a yes or no answer. He didn鈥檛 get one)
鈥淚 sure hope so,鈥� said Comer. Stopping far short of a 鈥測es or no鈥� answer.
So far, no Republican has been able to find any real proof that the Bidens have been engaged in anything illegal. But they keep trying.
As one poster on a news aggregator website put it, 鈥淚s there another mermaid film coming out Republicans can get mad at?鈥�
Edward A. Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winner, former reporter, and anchor for Entertainment Tonight, and 50-year TV news and newspaper veteran. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.