Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said in a recent interview that he is worried about the upcoming presidential election because former President Trump “learned” the political system’s weaknesses in 2020.
“The problem is now, Trump and the Trump-type folks have learned where the weaknesses are in the system,” Kinzinger said on The Bulwark podcast on Tuesday.
Respectfully, I disagree. I don't think you understand what he's facing in NY and Georgia.
The former is a state civil matter, and the Trump Org is already in the process of being sold off in its entirety. The remaining proceedings are for punitive damages, i.e. money he has to pay for fucking around. It's already happening, and cutting him off from his Org means he will have to rely solely on donations to operate. While he does get millions from that grift, it's not a bottomless stream of cash, running a campaign and fighting/losing legal battles is expensive, and he no longer has other assets he can leverage.
In Georgia, he's facing RICO charges from laws designed to take down mob bosses and their associates, and these are State charges. He can't presidential-pardon himself out of them. Unless Judge McAfee throws him a gigantic bone (and he's basically shown so far that he's a no-nonsense, rule-of-law judge), or Kempf pardons him (which he's given no indication that he wants to), Trump and others will very likely go to prison. It's not happening quickly enough for the public, but it's not likely either of these proceedings will drag on, either.
I understand the urge to just give up, but it's a little early to throw in the towel.