Newsletter: Trumps says he’ll be arrested. A reminder: Nothing has actually happened yet

Good morning. I’m Paul Thornton, and it is Saturday, March 25, 2023. Last Saturday, I wrote in this space that it was 2024 — that’s obviously wrong, and I regret the error. Let’s look back at the week in Opinion.

At the outset, I believe it’s important to acknowledge that we’re talking about a possible indictment of Donald Trump because of something Donald Trump said — not because Manhattan Dist. Atty. Alvin Bragg has actually done more than present information to a grand jury, and not because of well-sourced reporting that cites people close to the grand jury or Bragg.

What happened was this: One week ago, the former president complained online that he would be arrested on Tuesday (he wasn’t) and called on his supporters to “protest, take our nation back!”

And here we are now, shining the spotlight back onto someone whose only gift as a politician is getting attention. Of course, an indictment against a former president would put this country in uncharted waters (other democracies are less squeamish about holding heads of state criminally accountable), and the prospect of it happening demands coverage. But you just hate to see someone who lied more than any president in recent history inspire media coverage in a way no other human can. This was a problem when he was in office (would anyone pay attention to someone else rambling about disinfectants or powerful lights killing the coronavirus?), and it’s a problem now.

So discuss it we must, not least because Trump’s claims have also inspired craven GOP leaders to say some truly inane, irresponsible things in his defense. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from Bakersfield is one of those Republicans — he slammed Bragg as a “radical D.A.” and his investigation as an “outrageous abuse of power,” then did exactly what he accused Bragg of by directing his lieutenants in Congress to investigate the district attorney.

In a Times op-ed article, lapsed Republican operative Kurt Bardella, now a Democratic strategist, says this reveals the GOP’s continuing servitude to Trump:

“Anyone who thinks Republicans really have any desire to ‘move on’ from Trump should abandon this fantasy. At this point, Republicans such as McCarthy aren’t hostages to the former president; they’re his volunteers and aspiring accomplices.

“The United States Congress has no legitimate reason to meddle in an active investigation by a New York prosecutor. It’s a flagrant abuse of power that establishes a dangerous precedent threatening to upend the justice system. The suggestion is that it’s the proper province of Congress to become directly involved in independent judicial proceedings to the point of acquiring evidence and testimony and entering it into the public record before the case is even tried. ...

“Evidently, if you are a Republican seeking high office, criminal conduct is no disqualification; it’s verging on a prerequisite. Turning the House of Representatives into a glorified conspiracy to obstruct justice is the latest manifestation of the party’s enthusiastic embrace of organized crime.”

But should Trump be indicted in New York? Columnist Jonah Goldberg says probably not: “By preparing the first indictment of a former president on charges that probably would not have been used against anyone else, Bragg is helping Trump cast himself as a victim of a legal system out to get him. This will make other, weightier and worthier, potential prosecutions — such as pressuring Georgia officials to ‘find’ votes and fomenting the Jan. 6 riot — seem equally politically motivated.” L.A. Times

The Trump saga shows how little Republican leaders think of the rule of law. Columnist Jackie Calmes recaps the sordid spectacle of Trump’s allies in Congress demanding investigations of the Manhattan district attorney and explains why the former president’s critics — not his supporters — have legitimate grievances: “Yes, many of us are irked with our justice system. But it’s not ... the frustration of the MAGA voter. It’s that in a nation founded on the principle that no one is above the law, one man so far has been — first because he was the sitting president and now, if Republicans have their way, because he’s their leading candidate for the office.” L.A. Times

Why California will still have a water shortage no matter how much it rains this year: Hydrologist Jay Famiglietti says it’s all about groundwater, which has been woefully overdrawn these last several decades. He says the state’s first legal effort to preserve its aquifers must succeed, or else we face catastrophe: “In December, my research team published a report that showed groundwater depletion in California’s Central Valley accelerating during the megadrought years between 2019 and 2021, rather than slowing with the implementation of sustainability plans and rules. In those years, Central Valley groundwater disappeared at almost five times the long-term average depletion rate. At first, the finding caught our research group off guard, but it was borne out by ground-based observations of water levels and by a record number of drying groundwater wells.” L.A. Times

Americans are terrified of other Americans. How do we stop the polarization? Columnist Jean Guerrero concedes that almost all of the dangerous extremism comes from one side — the Republican side — but wonders how polarization can be reduced when so many others are seen as harboring racist and fascist views. The answer lies in how we talk about each other: “The media too often whitewashes the actions and rhetoric of people in power. We have a responsibility to criticize our leaders. But I’m not so sure that labeling ordinary people who support those leaders does any good. While it’s true that the power of demagogues comes from the masses of ordinary people who support them, it’s also true that the devotion of those masses stems from a moral outrage aggravated by the moral outrage of the other side.” L.A. Times

Metro riders need safer trains and buses. That doesn’t necessarily mean more police. Violent crime is up on L.A. County’s buses and trains — just like it was in 2017. Then, Metro decided to significantly increase policing, and look at where we are today. The editorial board says Metro is rightly taking a different approach: “Now Metro is ramping up a more holistic approach to public safety that shows promise. This month, Metro put 300 ambassadors on the system to give customers directions or answer questions, and to call for security officers, service providers and law enforcement when necessary. The agency is also going to hire more security officers to check fares and enforce the code of conduct, contract with more homeless outreach teams, and add lighting and cleaning crews to stations. Advocates are also pushing for bathroom and elevator attendants, and more frequent service. It’s recognition that many of the problems afflicting the system are larger societal challenges.” L.A. Times