Donald Trump is in hot water again for a post on his failed social media site, Truth Social. Law Professor Anthony Michael Kreis tweeted the post, seemingly alarmed by the “blatantly awful stuff” written by the former President. This involves the case in Georgia, where Trump sought to overturn the election results and pressured government officials to just “find” him votes. Yes, that is already one (of many) alleged crimes, but that is another story. Trump’s unhinged behavior continues to be of note.
On Truth Social, Trump said that the former Lt. Governor of Georgia, Jeff Duncan, “shouldn’t” testify before the Fulton County Grand Jury. He said that he barely knows Duncan but that he has been a “nasty disaster” for those looking into so-called election fraud, criticizing Duncan for refusing to hold a special session on the matter and becoming very unpopular with Republicans. He ended by calling him a “loser.”
Kreis, who is a Law professor at the Georgia State University College of Law, calls this post potential witness tampering. He refers to law O.C.G.A. § 16-10-93. An interesting conversation ensues in the comments of this thread, which gives a little more insight and context into what this could all mean. As another Twitter user pointed out, after a followup to Kreis’s original tweet calling this “exceptionally bad” for Trump, the law being cited specifically requires either a reward or threat—implied or otherwise—to influence a witness, applying to anyone who “communicates, directly or indirectly, to such witness any threat of injury or damage to the person, property, or employment of the witness or to the person, property, or employment of any relative or associate of the witness or who offers or delivers any benefit, reward, or consideration to such witness or to a relative or associate of the witness.”
Kreis doesn’t deny that but notes that he sees Trump’s post as dancing close to a threat, and it’s hard not to agree. Another tweeter mentioned the part where Trump said Duncan “shouldn’t” testify as implying repercussions, likening it to mob boss activity. Given that Trump’s Georgia indictment has come under a law that’s often used against mob bosses, it’s hard to imagine that the prosecution wouldn’t see this for what it is.
More legal experts, and maybe even the courts, can continue to judge all of Trump’s posts and his wacky public outings, but all of this underscores the need for serious accountability and action against Trump. Recently, we saw that federal prosecutors sought a protective order against him after he posted “I’m coming after you” online. He’s also already been placed under a limited gag order in one of his court cases and may find himself in that spot again with all of this.
It is clear that he is using these legal troubles to fuel his Presidential campaign. This is bizarre, of course, but there’s no reason to believe that at least politically, this isn’t a decent strategy. So many Republicans seem unwilling to leave the MAGA cult, and there hasn’t been a clear frontrunner for the anti-Trump crowd to rally behind. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis hasn’t been that guy as of yet, and he has seemed like the closest thing they have. Without harsh penalties for his dangerous behavior, Trump is going to continue with his mob-like behavior.
(featured image: Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
