South Asia and Beyond

Trump Grandstands As Iran Strikes At Israel

 Trump Grandstands As Iran Strikes At Israel

If he were president, Iran would never have attacked Israel, claims former President Donald Trump. In a post on his Truth Social app, Trump wrote “Israel is under attack. This should never have been allowed to happen. This would never have happened if I were president.”

President Biden had earlier said his country “Will stand with the people of Israel and support their defence against these threats from Iran.”

But former president Trump dismissed the president’s words, saying “This is no time for taped speeches.”

Trump is juggling multiple challenges: he is stepping up his campaign for the presidential elections in November at a time when jury selection gets underway on Monday for his trial on criminal charges. He’s accused of paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both say they had extramarital sexual encounters with them, which he denies.

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Daniels was allegedly paid $130,000 and McDougal $150,000 to stay quiet, with the money being paid by his one-time lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen. He was subsequently reimbursed by the Trump Organization and records say these were falsely labelled as legal expenses.

Trump is in deep trouble as Cohen has admitted wrongdoing. There are 34 charges against the former president for falsifying business records. If convicted, he could be sent to prison for four years. But prosecutors must prove that Trump not only caused the records to be falsified but that he did so with the intent of committing a crime. Legal experts say this may not be easy, but the prosecutors seem to believe they have a strong case against Trump and have a good chance of putting him behind bars.

Cohen is expected to be the key prosecution witness and he says his goal “is to tell the truth.” Trump he says, “Needs to be held accountable for his dirty deeds.”

Surya Gangadharan

Thirty eight years in journalism, widely travelled, history buff with a preference for Old Monk Rum. Current interest/focus spans China, Technology and Trade. Recent reads: Steven Colls Directorate S and Alexander Frater's Chasing the Monsoon. Netflix/Prime video junkie. Loves animal videos on Facebook. Reluctant tweeter.

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