On Oct. 17, 1931, at the Federal Building in Chicago, Al Capone was convicted of income tax evasion. The charges, of course, were a proxy for a litany of more slippery crimes. Still, that was the end of Capone’s power; Frank Nitti took over as boss of the Outfit, the power of which gradually diminished. Capone was reduced to playing banjo in the Alcatraz band.
On May 30, 2024, Donald J. Trump, the former president of the United States, was convicted of 34 felony charges revolving around the falsification of business records. The charges, of course, were a proxy for a litany of more slippery crimes, not at all the crimes of violence for which Capone was notorious, but indicative of a general disregard for laws and the legal system especially when they conflicted with personal gain. The verdict, though, is unlikely to mark the end of Trump’s influence, there being no obvious candidate to take his place running the Republican Party. The 34-time felon won’t be joining the house band at Mar-a-Lago; he will be appealing the New York state charges and also running again for president of the United States.
Yes, if you were still wondering, a convicted felon can run for president. Yes, he still can serve as president, if the voters so decide.
To most observers on this truly unbelievable day in New York City and America, including us, the evidence against Trump always looked persuasive. The idea that he would disguise hush-money payments to prevent personal scandal as payments to his lawyer fit with Trump’s casual modus operandi of years standing, his palpable belief in his own abilities to escape legal consequences for his actions.
Whether a majority of the American people will view this trial as justice or odious political warfare remains to be seen. That reckoning will be painful. And, inevitably, divisive.