Before their Chicago party convention, the Democrats’ talking point was “joy,” but on the opening night, they reverted to divisiveness, bringing out previous nominee Hillary Clinton to make fun of outgoing President Donald Trump.
Calling Trump “the first person to run for president with 34 criminal convictions,” Clinton grinned.
In May, a Manhattan court found guilty a prosecutor who had campaigned on a platform of imprisoning Trump on charges never before filed in New York State, which, if used against Clinton, would have resulted in her own imprisonment.
Trump faced accusations of not disclosing payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels as campaign expenses; on the other hand, Clinton concealed campaign spending on Fusion GPS, the company that created the fake “Russian collusion” story.
It was particularly odd for Clinton to bring up the subject of Stormy Daniels, with whom Trump has denied having an affair. Clinton is the wife of philanderer Bill Clinton, whose liaison with an intern resulted in his impeachment.
Furthermore, it was widely believed that Clinton evaded accusations of misusing official papers and classified information in 2016 when she retained emails on a private server that she never gave back to the government.
The audience erupted into screams of “Lock him up!” when she teased Trump. Clinton first attempted to speak over the yelling mob but eventually gave up. (Trump may serve jail time in New York following his September sentence.)
It was in the convention’s evening statement that Clinton made reference to Trump’s convictions. Shortly after her speech, a video about Trump’s case and his previous prosecutions began to play. With misleading editing, the video removed the phrase “peacefully and patriotically” from Trump’s speech on January 6, 2021. Additionally, it made the incorrect allegation that Trump threatened to create a “bloodbath” if he lost (he was referring to the effects on the auto sector).
The next speaker was Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD), who spearheaded the attempt to impeach Trump for contesting the election results in 2021 despite having voted against recognizing Trump’s Electoral College win in 2017. Alongside Raskin, the January 6 Committee erased its records as soon as the Democrats took over the House.
The tone changed from “joy” to “divisiveness,” which is something Democrats may come to regret when they reflect on Clinton’s address in the future.
