The Trump Verdict Is a Travesty of Justice

At the end of the day, Trump won’t go to jail—not for these charges—but the New York process continues to taint the other, more serious prosecutions that the former president faces, for which he almost certainly won’t be tried before the election. And it continues to taint the election itself, though not necessarily in Democrats’ favor. After all, Trump’s standing in opinion polls improved after Bragg’s indictment, turning what was supposed to be a competitive Republican primary into a coronation. And these convictions are likely already factored into voters’ perceptions.

It remains to be seen whether, in the swing states, the number of independents and onetime NeverTrumpers now determined to vote for Trump outnumbers the swing voters who simply won’t vote for a convicted felon, regardless of any accompanying details.

But it should never have come to this. And for that I blame not so much the jurors, but the DA and the judge.