By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on August 30, 2023 An Editorial Opinion When Attorney John Lauro asked a federal judge in Washington, D.C. to set Donald Trump’s criminal trial for election interference activities in April 2026, he cited the landmark Scottsboro Boys case of Powell v. Alabama (1932) in his legal brief to support his request. The legal brief was co-signed by Trump attorneys Todd Blanche (New York, New York) and Gregory Singer and Filzah I. Pavalon (Tampa, Florida). Powell v. Alabama recognized the right of a criminal defendant who is charged with a serious crime to effective assistance of counsel. The case arose from a racially-motivated miscarriage of justice when nine innocent black teenagers were seized from a freight train in Paint Rock, Alabama and falsely accused of raping two female white hobos on the train. The Scottsboro Boys were brought to trial six days after their indictment. They were defended by frightened, court-appointed, local white attorneys. The grand jury and trial jury in their case were all-white. They were convicted and sentenced to death with the “haste of the mob.” A companion Scottsboro Boys case of Norris v. Alabama (1935) recognized the right of blacks to serve on grand juries and trial juries. I was the last counsel of record for Clarence Norris, the defendant in Norris v. Alabama. In November 1976, approximately 45 years after his false arrest, I secured a full and unconditional pardon from the state of Alabama for Clarence Norris based upon a “showing of innocence.” Norris was the last living Scottsboro Boy at the time. Over the course of time, the Scottsboro Boys were sentenced to death on multiple occasions and saved from execution by the U.S. Supreme Court at the last moment each time. John Lauro’s Ignorance of the Law is Profound John Lauro (and his co-counsel) obviously knew nothing about the facts and circumstances surrounding the Scottsboro Boys cases when he cited Powell v. Alabama in the “Introduction” paragraph of his legal brief to support his request for the April 2026 trial date, even though every law school in the nation teaches first year law students about the Scottsboro Boys cases in their Constitutional Law classes. Powell v. Alabama was a case of white mob justice playing out in an Alabama courtroom in the 1930s. Two white prostitutes had falsely accused nine black teenagers of raping them on the freight train. The facts and circumstances surrounding Trump’s legal representation in U.S. v. Donald Trump are totally different and distinguishable from the experience of the Scottsboro Boys. Unlike the Scottsboro Boys, Donald Trump has an army of retained lawyers representing him. Unlike the Scottsboro Boys, Donald Trump has had over two years to prepare for potential criminal charges arising from his election interference activities between November 3, 2020 and January 6, 2021. Unlike the Scottsboro Boys, Donald Trump has an additional seven months to prepare for four felony counts in a single-defendant case. Unlike the Scottsboro Boys, Donald Trump has been treated with dignity and respect by every trial judge in his four criminal cases. This is true even though Trump has repeatedly disrespected each one of these judges on social media. Judge Tanya Chutkan Rightfully Rejected Lauro’s Request for a 2026 Trial Date U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan rightfully rejected John Lauro’s request for a 2026 trial date. It was absurd and amateurish. Judge Chutkan knew the appropriate application of the law in Powell v. Alabama, even though John Lauro did not. The case simply did not apply to the facts in Trump's case. Additionally, Judge Chutkan has been on the receiving end of death threats related to Trump’s case. The longer Donald Trump's case lingers in Chutkan's court, the greater the chances are that some misguided Trump supporter will resort to violence against the judge and court personnel. Like former Alabama governor George C. Wallace, Donald Trump panders to the worst instincts in white extremist groups, which he refuses to denounce. Armed with this knowledge, John Lauro peddled a historically ignorant version of Donald Trump’s request for a distant trial date to Judge Chutkan. Judge Chutkan rejected Lauro's misguided request. There was a proper way to request and receive more time to prepare Donald Trump's case, but John Lauro did not know how to do it. Epilogue Donald Trump is definitely experiencing “ineffective assistance of counsel,” but this is a circumstance of his own making. Trump has personally chosen all of the defense attorneys who have been hired to represent him. At the rate Trump’s lawyers are “crashing and burning,” the former president will certainly be convicted of some, if not all, of 91 felony charges against him. Trump's defense counsel are clueless, inexperienced litigators who are running a clown show. They are blowing opportunities to win Trump's cases on a daily basis, and they are getting hammered in court.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on August 28, 2023 An Editorial Opinion On "Fox News Sunday," host Shannon Bream asked Donald Trump's go-to attorney, Alina Habba, how his legal team plans to prepare the embattled former president for his upcoming trials in four criminal cases in jurisdictions across the country. Trump has been charged with 91 felonies in Georgia, New York, Florida, and Washington, D.C. over allegations that he worked to overturn the 2020 presidential election, paid "hush money" to adult film star Stormy Daniels, and mishandled classified documents after he left office in 2021. In response to Bream's question, Habba said preparing Donald Trump for the trials simply won't be an issue as Trump is "not your average person," "incredibly intelligent," and "knows the ropes." Habba said she believes Trump is well aware of the facts of the various cases and will not need to "prep much" for the trials amidst his presidential campaign. Trump’s New York trial has been set for March 25, 2024. His Miami trial is set for May 20, 2024. No trial date has been set in Atlanta, Georgia on Trump’s RICO Indictment and 12 other charges. A Comedy of Errors Contradicting Alina Habba in court today, Trump attorney John Lauro claimed the defense team needed until April 2026 to prepare for his trial in Washington. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan rejected Lauro’s request and set Trump’s four count Indictment for trial for March 4, 2023. Trump is the sole defendant in this case. Lauro argued that the March 4th date was unfair to Trump. "We will certainly abide by your honor's ruling, as we must. We will not be able to provide adequate representation ... the trial date will deny President Trump the opportunity to have effective assistance of counsel." Based upon the litany of miscues and mistakes Trump’s legal teams have made since August 2022, there is no question that the former president has subjected himself to “ineffective assistance of counsel.” However, Donald Trump, himself, chose and paid his defense attorneys. What is the Win-Loss Record of Trump’s Attorneys? For obvious reasons, win-loss records matter in criminal trials more than they do in sports contests. If a defendant loses a criminal case, he/she goes to prison. If an athlete loses a sports contest, he/she simply looks forward to a rematch at some future date. What is the overall win-loss record in jury trials for Alina Habba, John Lauro, Steven H. Sadow, Todd Blanche, and Trump’s other criminal defense attorneys? A “win” is defined as a dismissal of the criminal charges, with prejudice, and/or “not guilty” verdicts. A plea deal does not count as a “win.” Nobody knows. It is not posted on the websites for Trump's attorneys. It appears that none of Trump's criminal defense attorneys has a respectable overall win-loss record in jury trials. Likewise, none of them has won a landmark criminal case for a high-profile white collar defendant under difficult circumstances. What these attorneys are very proficient at is billing Donald Trump for more than $40 million in legal fees, even though they have not won one round in their respective cases. Trump’s Judgment in Picking Attorneys is Sorely Lacking Donald Trump is sorely lacking in his ability to pick attorneys with respectable track records for winning jury trials. He picked Michael Cohen as his New York “fixer.” Cohen “flipped” on him in the New York “hush money” case. Trump picked Jeff Sessions as his first Attorney General. Sessions, a former U.S. Senator from Alabama, turned out to be an imbecile in the job. Sessions was forced out of office and replaced by William Barr, who turned against Donald Trump shortly after leaving the Attorney General’s job in December 2020. Trump is obviously NOT selecting his criminal defense counsel based upon any respectable and demonstrated track-record of winning in jury trials. Trump's defense attorneys are "crashing and burning" before they have entered their respective gladiator pits for the criminal trials.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on August 27, 2023 An Editorial Opinion Last Thursday, Donald Trump’s lawyers in the Georgia RICO case blew a huge opportunity to win the case. Thursday was the day Trump flew into Atlanta to surrender for booking and processing after his August 14, 2023, indictment on 13 felony charges. The event was covered on worldwide television. Trump will be tried in Fulton County, Georgia by a state prosecution team headed by District Attorney Fani T. Willis, a highly successful and experienced prosecutor. On August 14, 2023, Willis flexed her prosecutorial muscle and demanded the surrender, arrest, and booking of Donald Trump and his 18 co-defendants by noon on August 25, 2023. The media hype since August 14th has been about Trump’s surrender to Willis in an urban, Democratic county. Trump could have easily changed the narrative in a way that created a strategic advantage for him to cultivate potential Fulton County jurors. His lawyers missed a unique and rare opportunity to do so. It is important to note that trial courts in Georgia randomly select potential jurors from a pool of all eligible county residents. In Fulton County, 42.5% of county’s population is black, 39.3% is white (non-Hispanic), 8.7% is Asian, and 8.1% is Hispanic/Latino, according to the 2020 census. As such, Trump’s Fulton County trial jury is likely to be at least 50% to 60% black and Hispanic. The Failure to Use Harrison Floyd’s Detention to Trump’s Advantage The narrative around Thursday’s trip to Atlanta should have been two fold: (a) the timely surrender of Trump and (b) the rescue of fellow co-defendant Harrison William Prescott Floyd, III, who has been locked up at the filthy, rat-infested, unsafe, Fulton County jail since he voluntarily surrendered himself earlier last week. Mr. Floyd, who is black, heads an organization named Black Voices for Trump. He is also a former United States Marine. Floyd is a disabled veteran who lives off his military pension. Mr. Floyd is the only one of the 19 RICO defendants who has not been released on bond. Trump's attorneys could have easily shifted the media focus to Trump's rescue of a former Marine (Harrison William Prescott Floyd), who is down behind enemy lines. Trump’s legal team could have assisted in pre-arranging bond for Mr. Floyd. Trump and Floyd should have emerged from the jail together, with their arms raised in a victory gesture. Trump could have taken full credit for securing Floyd's release. The optics and messages from that one photo would have been priceless. The image of Trump and Floyd with raised arms in victory, coupled with Trump’s rescue narrative wrapped around it, could have cultivated at least 2 to 3 “not guilty” votes from potential black members of the 12-person trial jury. What is more, this narrative would have played out on worldwide TV throughout the weekend and during the lead up to the trial itself. No story is more compelling in the court of public opinion than one about a former commander-in-chief coming into hostile territory to rescue one of his former Marines. Because Trump’s lawyers blew this opportunity, the only narratives that came out of Thursday event were (a) the minimum amount of time Trump spent at the jail and (b) the use of Trump's mugshot for fundraising and merchandising initiatives. Neither one of these narratives is likely to cultivate potential “not guilty” votes at trial. The Way Trump Used His Mugshot was Another Faux Pas Rather than trying to look menacing in his Fulton County mugshot, Donald Trump should have emulated the dignified and stoic look captured in this iconic mugshot of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Ironically, Donald Trump was arrested in the city where Dr. King pastored Ebenezer Baptist Church. Like Dr. King, Trump is the face of a national movement in America, although Trump's MAGA movement is one that seeks to rollback the civil rights gains Dr. King paid for in blood with his life. What is more, Donald Trump’s mugshot was taken two days before the 60th anniversary of the Dr. King’s historic 1963 March on Washington. The timing of Trump's arrest and booking event could not have been better for him to liken his alleged law enforcement "persecution" to what Dr. King experienced during the COINTELPRO era.. The mugshot released by the Trump campaign should have been juxtaposed with Dr. King’s mugshot. The subtle message to potential white jurors would have been simple and easy to understand – "When you are the leader of a national movement for political and social change in America, you should expect to be treated like a criminal." This approach to the mugshot event could have cultivated at least 2 to 3 “not guilty” verdicts from potential white jurors in Trump’s case. Remember, Donald Trump only needs 12 jurors in his RICO case to vote "not guilty" on all 13 counts against him. A highly skilled defense lawyer NEVER waits for the trial to commence before he/she starts the cultivation of "not guilty" votes. The concept of "jury nullification" begins in the court of public opinion. Then, it spills over into the court of law. Trump's legal teams have repeatedly blown prime opportunities for creating the right atmosphere for "jury nullification." Epilogue The other blown defense opportunities in Donald Trump’s criminal cases are discussed in my August 18, 2023, article titled, “Trump’s Criminal Defense Team is Running a Clown Show.” To date, the legal moves made by Trump’s defense teams have been basic textbook stuff. Prosecutors Alvin Bragg, Jack Smith, and Fani T. Willis can see these moves a mile away and can easily defeat them all day long. There is zero creativity and strategic thinking taking place on Trump’s criminal defense teams. Apparently, Trump's lawyers simply lack the litigation experience to seize synergistic opportunities to score major points in Trump's cases. They also lack the vision to undertake actions today that will win over potential trial jurors tomorrow. It is apparent that Donald Trump’s lawyers are representing him just for the money. His criminal cases are nothing more than business transactions for them. I see no commitment on their part to winning Trump's cases by all lawful means necessary. Trump's attorneys are definitely NOT the legal profession's equivalent to a Navy Seals special ops team. To date, the number and severity of miscues and mistakes that Trump’s legal teams have made are staggering. These miscues and mistakes virtually guarantee that the former president will be convicted in each one of his four criminal cases. Donald Trump will NOT be saved by his criminal defense attorneys. To save himself, Trump must win the 2024 presidential election. Losing the election is not an acceptable option.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on August 26, 2023 An Editorial Opinion Here are the world's best known criminal defendants today, courtesy of Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani T. Willis. She brought them all together in one case. Over the next few months and years, they will get to know each other very well. State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump, et. al., will be the most watched RICO trial in U.S. history. As a retired criminal defense lawyer who holds the U.S. record for defeating the most felony counts (85) in a single-defendant criminal case (U.S. v. Richard M. Scrushy), I plan to sit back and enjoy watching the televised legal battles between Fani T. Willis and these 19 criminal defendants in a Fulton County courtroom (a/k/a the "gladiator pit"). What Makes a Tough Prosecutor? I have met and defeated plenty of good prosecutors in the gladiator pit during my 48 years as a criminal defense attorney. The best and toughest ones were smart, well prepared, experienced, courageous, and female. Fani T. Willis Of the three prosecutors in Donald Trump's four criminal cases, Fani T. Willis poses the greatest threat to his freedom. Willis is the best and most prepared prosecutor I have seen in my entire legal career. She is smart, strategic, focused, courageous, and highly experienced. Every fiber of her body exudes confidence on her ability to fight in the gladiator pit. Jack Smith I have personally interacted with Special Counsel Jack Smith on behalf of my client Milton McGregor, and I was not impressed with him. Smith lost on all of the 39 felony counts his prosecution team tried in U.S. v. Milton McGregor (2010 to 2011), a criminal conspiracy and bribery case. I published an article about my personal experiences with Jack Smith in McGregor's case. He is a highly overrated federal prosecutor. If Smith litigated cases as a defense attorney, as opposed to a prosecutor in what Trump calls the "rigged" federal criminal justice system, he would get his ass kicked all day long. From what I have seen to date, none of the defense attorneys in Donald Trump's Miami or Washington, D.C. federal criminal cases has the skills, experience, and ability to kick Jack Smith's ass. Alice Martin It took everything I had in me as a gladiator to battle U.S. Attorney Alice Martin and win on all 85 felony counts in former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy's fraud case (2003 to 2005). Alice Martin and I fought each other in Scrushy’s case for two very long years. I was totally exhausted at the end of Scrushy's case, and I never wanted to fight Alice Martin again. To this day, I respect and admire Alice Martin as one of the smartest and toughest federal prosecutors in America. Unlike most prosecutors, Alice Martin actually led her troops into battle and bled with them on the battlefield. She actively participated in the pre-trial hearings and examined witnesses during the six-month trial. She directed the government’s litigation strategies and in-court battles, from start to finish. She was a fierce, skilled, smart, and well-trained adversary. Fani T. Willis embodies much of Alice Martin's tough, aggressive, participatory spirit and approach in Trump's criminal case. Will Fani T. Willis Win Trump's Case? Today, I do not know of any criminal defense lawyer who has the knowledge, skills, ability, and experience to beat Fani T. Willis in her RICO case against Trump. Willis is the real deal. She is a gladiator of the first order. The defense lawyers hired in this RICO case thus far do not have a chance of beating Willis. They simply lack the skills and experience required to compete with Fani Willis, and win. Willis is in a league of her own. There is going to be a bloodbath in the Fulton County gladiator pit, but Fani T. Willis will not be the gladiator who bleeds out. Based upon my professional training and experience in the gladiator pit, I already know who will win this courtroom fight -- Fani T. Willis!

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on August 25, 2023 An Editorial Opinion On September 27, 2020, I published an article titled, “The Plan is Set: Trump’s Not Leaving Office.” In the article, I predicted that Trump would try to stay in the White House even if he lost the 2020 election. Trump lost the election. The only factor that I did not foresee was former Vice President Mike Pence’s last-minute refusal to participate in the plan. After Trump lost the election, Pence had the courage to say “No” to Trump's diabolical plan to remain in office. Pence's single act of courage on January 6, 2021, set in motion everything that is happening to Donald Trump and his co-defendants today. Here is my article from September 27, 2020, which was 5 weeks prior to the election: “Whether he wins or loses in the November 3, 2020, election, the plan is set – President Donald J. Trump will not voluntarily leave the White House. If he loses the election to Democratic nominee Joe Biden, Trump will declare a state of emergency due to alleged widespread voter fraud and he will impose martial law until new elections can be held. Without any supporting evidence, Trump has already cast doubt about the integrity of mail-in balloting that has been used by many states for decades. Four years ago, Trump claimed that up to 11 million illegal aliens voted for Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, in 2016. He appointed a special commission to investigate his voter fraud claim. The commission was disbanded months later without finding any evidence of widespread voter fraud. Trump has seized ironclad control of the infrastructure he needs to remain in power, should he lose the election. He has a dictatorial grip over the U.S. military, the U.S. Attorney General, the FBI and the U.S. Marshals, Homeland Security, the national intelligence agencies, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Postal Service, The Federal Reserve Board, the Republican Party, old Confederate state’s governors, the U.S. Supreme Court, Wall Street (courtesy of the $6 trillion these companies received from the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve in loans and grants since March 2020), Fox News, the Voice of America news agency and a host of other government agencies and major corporations that form the backbone of America. America’s Oligarchy Contrary to popular belief, America is a guided democracy that is controlled by an oligarchy of wealthy corporations and super-rich individuals. We call them the “1 Percenters”. Their wealth is measured every day on Wall Street and is protected by Congress, the U.S. Supreme Court, and every U.S. president (some better than others). In 2010, in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the U.S. Supreme Court gave wealthy corporations the legal right to buy elected officials in America, which they promptly did. This is why tax laws favor the rich and why wealthy corporations always get bailed out first in times of great economic crisis. In short, the “1 Percenters” run America and Donald Trump is their guy. Prior to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in America in February, Trump was exploring a proposal to extend his term in office by repealing the 22nd Amendment, which limits a president to two terms in office. Trump was inspired to extend his term in office by the example he saw with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Both men shepherded changes to their countries’ constitutions that effectively made them presidents for life. Both men are close friends with Trump and have mentored him in the art of governing a nation with a dictatorial grip. The Plan to Remain in Power Trump continues to trail Joe Biden in the polls, although the race has tightened since the political party conventions last month. Should he lose the election, Trump knows that his base of diehard supporters and the “1 Percenters” will back his plan to remain in office. To them, the end result justifies the means necessary to achieve it. In addition to declaring a state of emergency, Trump will use federal agents and troops to enforce martial law in America, particularly in cities and states that are governed by Democrats. Trump has already declared these areas as hot zones for violence, rioting and lawlessness. Many of these places are “sanctuary cities” of undocumented migrants. Trump would not be the first U.S. President to use the military for the mass incarceration of American dissenters. President Richard Nixon’s head of the U.S. military police devised a written plan in 1970 for the mass incarceration of black people who were believed to be violent civil rights protestors. The designated detention centers were located around the U.S. on military bases. Trump’s ace in the hole is the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2000, the Court ushered George W. Bush into the presidency on a 5-4 vote in the case of Gore v. Bush. The Court’s vote was split along partisan lines. Trump’s two Supreme Court nominees assures him of at least a 5-4 vote in his favor on the declared state of emergency and imposition of martial law. Epilogue While other political analysts talk about polls, I discuss predictable political outcomes. Donald Trump has shown Americans that he will say and do whatever is necessary to win in the political arena. His mentors in the political thicket of strong-arm government are Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. There is nothing Democrats can do to stop Trump from implementing his default plan. On August 2, 2015, I published the first article in American journalism that predicted Donald Trump’s victory in 2016. Political pundits and TV talking heads dismissed this prediction. Trump won the 2016 election. Today, I am predicting that Trump will not leave office if he loses the November 3rd election. The ruling oligarchy in America will back Trump’s decision to remain in office. This experience, like many others during the Trump presidency, will be a first in this nation’s history.” ************************ This is how and why America has reached this tragic point in our nation's history. No U.S. president has ever tried to remain in office after he lost the presidential election. Donald Trump is the first and only one to try this unfathomable stunt. Now, Donald Trump and 21 co-defendants in four criminal cases related to the scheme to keep Trump in power are suffering the consequences of their failed scheme in unimaginable ways. Meanwhile, Trump's MAGA supporters are vilifying Mike Pence for elevating the U.S. Constitution above of his loyalty to Donald Trump. Welcome to the MAGA cult and Donald Trump's America!

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on August 24, 2023 Meet Fulton County, Georgia Sheriff's Department Inmate No. P01135809. The world knows this inmate as Donald J. Trump, the 45th President of the United States. Here is Inmate No. P01135809's Sheriff's Department booking sheet: In the age of worldwide social media, it is expected that the trial of the State of Georgia v. Donald J. Trump will be the biggest spectacle since the trial of Jesus Christ. The RICO charge against Trump is the most serious criminal charge out of the 91 felonies in the four indictments naming him a criminal defendant in four separate jurisdictions. A conviction on any one of the 91 felonies will likely result in Trump's imprisonment. Donald Trump must win the 2024 presidential election to avoid imprisonment. Losing the election is NOT an acceptable option for him.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on January 4, 2021 Donald J. Trump lost the popular vote by 81,283,098 to 74,222,958. He lost the Electoral College vote by 306 to 232. Yet, he wants to continue as America’s president. As he did in 2016, Trump has made baseless claims of massive voter fraud in connection with the November 3, 2020 election. His Departments of Justice and Homeland Security dispute this claim. The Republican-dominated federal judiciary has rejected this false claim, as well. First Lady Melania Trump has packed her bags to go back home to New York. A clear majority of American voters have fired her husband. At this juncture, Trump is a delusional, narcissistic, egomaniac who simply cannot accept rejection. Since Trump’s defeat, he has fought long and hard to instill a modern-day version of “minority rule” in America’s 245-year democracy. Trump’s post-election antics have permanently damaged the Republican Party brand. No party leader has been able to talk sense into this demented buffoon. Accordingly, Trump has disgraced himself, as well as a large group of sincere and loyal followers who agreed with his public policies even as they held their nose at the stench emanating from Trump’s many character flaws. The worse for Republicans will come in the next few months when evidence of the crimes against humanity that were committed by Trump, White House staffer Stephen Miller, and other government officials against innocent men, women and children migrants of color at our Southern border surface. After January 20, 2021, Republicans in Washington will no longer be able to suppress this evidence. This is when our moral, political and legal reckoning as a nation will occur. This is also when the label “Trumper” will become a badge of shame for most Trump supporters. For the white supremacists in the Trump fold, Trump’s name will live in infamy and he will be enshrined in their hearts along with Adolf Hitler. For the rest of us, America will be “great again” once Trump leaves office. All articles are shared on Facebook and Twitter. If you would like to follow Donald Watkins, please click on these links and hit the follow button: https://www.facebook.com/donald.v.watkins https://twitter.com/donaldvwatkins

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on September 27, 2020 Whether he wins or loses in the November 3, 2020 election, the plan is set – President Donald J. Trump will not voluntarily leave the White House. If he loses the election to Democratic nominee Joe Biden, Trump will declare a state of emergency due to alleged widespread voter fraud and he will impose martial law until new elections can be held. Without any supporting evidence, Trump has already cast doubt about the integrity of mail-in balloting that has been used by many states for decades. Four years ago, Trump claimed that up to 11 million illegal aliens voted for Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, in 2016. He appointed a special commission to investigate his voter fraud claim. The commission was disbanded months later without finding any evidence of widespread voter fraud. Trump has seized ironclad control of the infrastructure he needs to remain in power, should he lose the election. He has a dictatorial grip over the U.S. military, the U.S. Attorney General, the FBI and the U.S. Marshals, Homeland Security, the national intelligence agencies, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Postal Service, The Federal Reserve Board, the Republican Party, old Confederate state’s governors, the U.S. Supreme Court, Wall Street (courtesy of the $6 trillion these companies received from the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve in loans and grants since March 2020), Fox News, the Voice of America news agency and a host of other government agencies and major corporations that form the backbone of America. America’s Oligarchy Contrary to popular belief, America is a guided democracy that is controlled by an oligarchy of wealthy corporations and super-rich individuals. We call them the “1 Percenters”. Their wealth is measured every day on Wall Street and is protected by Congress, the U.S. Supreme Court, and every U.S. president (some better than others). In 2010, in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the U.S. Supreme Court gave wealthy corporations the legal right to buy elected officials in America, which they promptly did. This is why tax laws favor the rich and why wealthy corporations always get bailed out first in times of great economic crisis. In short, the “1 Percenters” run America and Donald Trump is their guy. Prior to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in America in February, Trump was exploring a proposal to extend his term in office by repealing the 22nd Amendment, which limits a president to two terms in office. Trump was inspired to extend his term in office by the example he saw with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Both men shepherded changes to their countries’ constitutions that effectively made them presidents for life. Both men are close friends with Trump and have mentored him in the art of governing a nation with a dictatorial grip. The Plan to Remain in Power Trump continues to trail Joe Biden in the polls, although the race has tightened since the political party conventions last month. Should he lose the election, Trump knows that his base of diehard supporters and the “1 Percenters” will back his plan to remain in office. To them, the end result justifies the means necessary to achieve it. In addition to declaring a state of emergency, Trump will use federal agents and troops to enforce martial law in America, particularly in cities and states that are governed by Democrats. Trump has already declared these areas as hot zones for violence, rioting and lawlessness. Many of these places are “sanctuary cities” of undocumented migrants. Trump would not be the first U.S. President to use the military for the mass incarceration of American dissenters. President Richard Nixon’s head of the U.S. military police devised a written plan in 1970 for the mass incarceration of black people who were believed to be violent civil rights protestors. The designated detention centers were located around the U.S. on military bases. Trump’s ace in the hole is the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2000, the Court ushered George W. Bush into the presidency on a 5-4 vote in the case of Gore v. Bush. The Court’s vote was split along partisan lines. Trump’s two Supreme Court nominees assures him of at least a 5-4 vote in his favor on the declared state of emergency and imposition of martial law. Epilogue While other political analysts talk about polls, I discuss predictable political outcomes. Donald Trump has shown Americans that he will say and do whatever is necessary to win in the political arena. His mentors in the political thicket of strong-arm government are Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. There is nothing Democrats can do to stop Trump from implementing his default plan. In August 2015, I published the first article in American journalism that predicted Donald Trump’s victory in 2016. Political pundits and TV talking heads dismissed this prediction. Trump won the 2016 election. Today, I am predicting that Trump will not leave office if he loses the November 3rd election. The ruling oligarchy in America will back Trump’s decision to remain in office. This experience, like many others during the Trump presidency, will be a first in this nation’s history.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on August 22, 2023 An Editorial Opinion On August 18, 2023, I published an article titled, “Trump’s Criminal Defense Team is Running a Clown Show.” After watching the events of this week, I have determined that Trump’s criminal defense lawyers are completely clueless on how to defend the former president in his four high-profile cases. They are simply lost in the weeds. The only area where Trump’s lawyers appear to excel is in billing him for legal fees. According to published media reports, Trump and Super PACs aligned with him have paid these lawyers over $40 million. I do not think Donald Trump has any confidence in his criminal defense teams. It shows by the look on Trump's face. My Unique Vantage Point in Watching Donald Trump Fight for His Life I have a very unique vantage point in watching Donald Trump fight for his life. Trump must defeat 91 felony counts, including a RICO charge under Georgia law, in four jurisdictions. Three seasoned prosecutors have Donald Trump outgunned and pinned down in a quadrangulated legal fight. I don’t pay attention to the talking head lawyers on cable TV because they are either former federal prosecutors or criminal defense lawyers who have NEVER tried and won a high-profile, complex criminal case of this nature. These TV talking head lawyers are clueless, as well. As my readers know, I currently hold the record in American jurisprudence for defeating federal prosecutors on 85 felony counts in the case of U.S. v. Richard Scrushy. The Scrushy case is featured in the May 11, 2020, "King Richard" episode of the Netflix "Trial by Media" documentary series. On November 4, 2003, the Department of Justice indicted Richard Scrushy, the former CEO of HealthSouth, on 85 felony counts of Sarbanes Oxley offenses and related charges. If convicted on all charges, Scrushy faced 650 years in prison. In the span of 13 months from his indictment, my handpicked criminal defense team prepared for a trial that lasted six months. We viewed the case as a rescue mission that required special ops. Sixteen HealthSouth executive were charged in the HealthSouth case. Fourteen of them pled guilty and testified against Scrushy, including all five of the company’s chief financial officers since it was founded. On June 28, 2005, Richard Scrushy walked out of the federal courthouse in Birmingham, Alabama as a free man. Over a 19-month period, we prepared for trial, tried the case for six months, and defeated federal prosecutors on all 85 original counts. This winning record remains unbroken today. The July 25, 2005, edition of Fortune Magazine profiled the case in a feature article titled, “Donald Watkins: The Man Who Saved Richard Scrushy.” I was labeled the “real legal mastermind of the case” in a front page article in the February 2, 2005, edition of the Wall Street Journal. The Scrushy case was also featured on “60 Minutes." Epilogue Today, I can see that my national record of defeating 85 felony counts against a single defendant will not be broken by Donald Trump’s criminal defense lawyers. There is no combination of skill and luck that will allow these lawyers to defeat three sets of federal and state prosecutors on 91 felony charges. I can also see that Donald Trump’s only pathway out of his legal nightmare is to win the presidency in 2024. A stunning victory on election night in November 2024 is the only way Trump can make it to the other side of midnight in his criminal cases. This is a “do or die” presidential election for Donald Trump. There is no plea deal for Trump. He must win an acquittal on all 91 felony counts! If Donald Trump is convicted on any of the 91 felony counts against him, he will be sentenced to a term of imprisonment that amounts to a death sentence. And, Trump will likely die in the “Valachi Suite” at FCI La Tuna near El Paso, Texas.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on August 21, 2023 An Editorial Opinion If you want to understand how the American Taliban assaults women's rights in the United States, it is clearly depicted in the chart featured with this article. The chart accompanies an excellent August 20, 2023, online article in Demcastusa.com that explains, in detail, how the U.S. Supreme Court has been weaponized against reproductive rights for women. The American Taliban has nested within the MAGA wing of the Republican Party and has hijacked the nation's Supreme Court. The chart shows how this was done. So that you know, I am a pro-choice Independent voter. I believe in a woman's right to determine what is best for her body and her health, in consultation with her family and physician. Life Under Taliban Rule in America American women have never dominated the healthcare profession, whether as regulators, insurers, or healthcare providers. Men have controlled and dominated every aspect of the healthcare profession since the colonists landed in America. Now, the American Taliban is waging a full-scale war on the bodies of women and girls of childbearing age. This is their version of Sharia law. American women have never been able control what men can and cannot do with their bodies or their reproductive organs. Likewise, women have never been able to force a man to procreate life under any set of circumstances. An American man can avail himself of whatever healthcare he wants for his body. He can increase his testosterone levels, or not. He can fix his erectile dysfunction, or not. He can enhance the performance of his reproductive organs, or not. Above all, a man's penis and testicles are off limits for any form of government control. Women, on the other hand, have a long and well-documented history of being subjected to complete male domination and control over their bodies. For example, married men in America enjoyed the legal right to rape and beat women for over two hundred years. The rape of a black female by any white male was tolerated by American society and law enforcement officials, without legal consequences for the rapist, from 1612 until the passage of the Civil rights Act of 1964. Poor women in state prisons and mental facilities were subjected to forced sterilizations without their consent. These eugenics programs were sanctioned by state public health officials and were only terminated when two brave Alabama federal judges -- Frank M. Johnson, Jr. (Montgomery) and Virgil Pittman (Mobile) -- issued court orders to stop this barbaric practice in the early 1970s. Today's right-wing, Taliban-controlled U.S. Supreme Court would allow the resumption of these forced eugenics programs in a heartbeat. As recently as 2016, a bill to chemically castrate male sex offenders failed in the Alabama legislature because of this truism: A man's body, even when he is a serial rapist of women and children, is off limits to forced government medical procedures in the modern era. In contrast, a woman's body in Alabama (and elsewhere in America) is and always has been fair game for control, domination, regulation, and legalized interference with the doctor-patient relationship. A woman's body is now subject to the same breeding protocols a man selects for his animals. For all practical purposes, men now dictate how, when, and under what circumstances women will be bred. Abortions This brings me to the controversial subject of abortions. Today, 26 states prohibit or severely limit the right of a pregnant woman or girl from getting an abortion, even if the pregnancy is the result of rape and incest or if the forced childbirth might kill the mother. These states have determined that a pregnant woman or young girl in this circumstance must trade her life for her baby's life, no matter how the baby was conceived. The man who impregnates a woman or girl during an act of rape or incest gets to live, but the woman or girl might be forced to die. This is the harsh reality of the American Taliban's domestic version of Sharia law. As the smoke clears from the "pro-life" rhetoric of the far-right, the message to pregnant American women and girls is clear -- angry white men (and their subservient female accomplices) are terrorizing you. They are controlling your bodies and what you can do with them. If you buck against their control, Taliban dominated state law enforcement agencies might indict you and your doctor, put both of you on trial for murder, and imprison you for many years. As a nation, we saw this kind of state sponsored domestic terrorism against black Americans during the reign of state Sovereignty Commissions in southern states in the 1960s. State and local prosecutors used the full power of their offices to target, harass and prosecute innocent blacks who sought equal protection under the law. The paradigm of absolute male dominance and control over women's bodies will not change until white women get tired of being treated like second-class citizens, at best, and zoo animals, at worst. In overturning Roe v. Wade in June 2022, four Taliban men and one subservient woman on the U.S. Supreme Court pushed back medical progress for American women by at least 50 years. Women, is the gift of a tennis bracelet for your birthday, or diamond earrings for Christmas, or a trip to the Super Bowl really worth allowing angry white men to treat you, your daughters, and granddaughters like animals? Remember, Donald Trump gave great gifts to the women in his life. However, Trump privately bragged about "grabbing [women] by the pussy." Trump even agreed on the Howard Stern radio show that his daughter Ivana was a "fine piece of ass." Donald Trump said out loud what so many white men say and think about all women in private. Trump has never revered any woman -- not his maternal and paternal grandmothers, not his mother, not his sister, not his wives, not his daughters, and not his loyal female lawyers like Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell, and Alina Habba. In fact, Trump has completely abandoned co-defendants Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell in the aftermath of their RICO indictments in Georgia last week. Yet, the American Taliban has made Donald Trump its top cleric. Women, have you noticed that these angry white men are willing to give you almost everything, except equal rights under the law? They have never guaranteed you equal rights under the law. The American Taliban proudly defeated the ratification by states of the only Equal Rights Amendment (for women) that passed Congress. For whatever reason, most white men in America have never been capable of recognizing, respecting, and honoring the inalienable rights of women to control their bodies and enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on August 20, 2023 AN EXCLUSIVE INVESTIGATIVE REPORT --- If Donald Trump is convicted on any one of his 44 federal felony charges pending against him (and if he loses the 2024 presidential election), the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) plans to imprison Trump at its low security, La Tuna Federal Correctional Institution, according to confidential sources inside the BOP. The La Tuna prison is located just North of El Paso, Texas. There is an inmate apartment at La Tuna that once housed famed New York mobster Joseph Valachi, who penned a lengthy document titled, “The Real Thing.” Valachi was the first mobster to paint a clear canvas of life inside the Mafia. On October 8, 1963, Joseph Valachi provided graphic testimony to a Congressional committee about Mafia's inner workings that surprised many Americans. He confirmed the existence of the five New York Mafia families; he outlined their organizational structure; he exposed the secret ‘blood’ induction ceremony; he explained the effectiveness of the omertà vow; and he identified the leaders of each family, thereby for the first time attaching a name tag to each borgata. Valachi is credited with the popularization of the term La Cosa Nostra. Joseph Valachi’s manuscript was used as source material for the book and movie named, “The Valachi Papers.” The “Valachi Suite” After being held for some time at Washington, D.C., and Milan, Michigan, Joseph Valachi was transferred to a federal prison at La Tuna, Texas. His rooms at the La Tuna prison are known as the “Valachi Suite." In exchange for Valachi’s cooperation with federal authorities, the BOP provided him with the most comfortable treatment and lavish furnishings the Bureau could provide. Valachi was housed in a two-room, air-cooled suite at La Tuna. His large cell, isolated from the general prison population and built specifically for him, had couches and a kitchenette. At La Tuna, Valachi led a solitary existence in which he always was alone, except for guards. He once tried to commit suicide by hanging. Valachi died of natural causes at La Tuna in 1971. Even though the “Valachi Suite” has been well-maintained by La Tuna prison officials, it has not been used since Valachi’s death. The “Valachi Suite” is well-suited for Donald Trump’s unique circumstances. It will allow Trump to have the company of his Secret Service detail at all times, even though they will not be armed inside the prison. If Trump is convicted in his Manhattan and Georgia state criminal cases, he will likely wind up in the “Valachi Suite,” as well. High value state court inmates like crooked police officers, prosecutors, and judges are often housed in low security federal prisons. As was the case with Joseph Valachi, Donald Trump will lead a very comfortable life in prison, albeit a lonely one. As a convicted felon, Trump will be subjected to all BOP inmate rules, regulations, and policies on family visitations, medical care, and prohibitions on contraband items like cell phones and food brought into his suite from the outside world. Trump will also wear the standard prison uniform for inmates. Trump will also have a television with cable channels and a prison-issued computer and printer in his suite. Finally, Trump's suite will provide him with a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains, which are scenic and breathtaking. Trading Places As a result of Joseph Valachi’s startling and very public revelations about the five New York Mafia families, the nation was called to action. Within several years after Valachi testified before Congress, federal laws were enacted allowing for court-ordered wiretaps and for informants to be entered into a newly formed federal Witness Protection Program. Another result of Joseph Valachi's testimony was the passage of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), which permitted federal authorities to go after syndicate leaders who might not have directly participated in the crimes involved. Ironically, Donald Trump, a fellow New Yorker, is charged under the state of Georgia’s version of the federal RICO statute that was inspired by Joseph Valachi. As fate would have it, Trump may be the next famous inmate who will be housed in the “Valachi Suite.” This is what I call trading places.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on August 19, 2023 An Editorial Opinion There are five military bases in Alabama. They are: Maxwell-Gunter AFB (in Montgomery), Anniston Army Depot (in Bynum), Fort Rucker (in Dale), Redstone Arsenal (in Madison), and Aviation Training Center (in Mobile). President Joe Biden should close all of them immediately and relocate their military assets and uniform military personnel to bases in other regions of the country. Alabama was never a strategic location for these five military bases. They were placed in the state because of the seniority and political clout of the state’s Democratic and Republican U.S. Senators who preceded U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) in office. Tuberville, who is Alabama’s senior Senator, has no political clout in Washington. He has only delivered $94 million in earmarked funding for projects in the state, according to a press release issued by his office on August 16, 2023. Over 70% of this money was contained in Congressional appropriation bills that Tuberville opposed. In contrast to Tuberville’s lackluster performance in Congress, retired U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-Alabama) delivered $1.2 billion in funding for projects in Alabama during the 117th Session of Congress, including $664 million in state earmarks for fiscal year 2023. Tuberville’s Blockade of Pentagon Promotions Today, Tuberville is single-handedly blocking more than 300 senior members of the military from getting their earned promotions. Tuberville’s blockage is his way of protesting the Pentagon’s abortion policies. Appearing on the podcast "The Kimberly Guilfoyle Show" on Thursday, Tuberville doubled down on his promise to block all promotions because the White House and Pentagon have refused to change the policy. "I don't care if they promote anybody to be honest with you," Tuberville said. This is the same man who praised white nationalists as true Americans in a radio interview last May with WBHM. “I look at a white nationalist as a Trump Republican. That’s what we’re called all the time. A MAGA person,” said Tuberville. Tuberville repeated his praise of white nationalists in an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins in July. Tuberville's brother, Charles Tuberville, distanced himself from the Senator and his racist comments. Alabama’s Unreasonable, Obdurate Obstinacy to Progress in America Tuberville is crippling our military. Furthermore, Tuberville represents a growing trend among many Alabama statewide officials who disregard federal laws and undermine our national interests. Remember, Alabama was home to the First White House of the Confederacy. The state has long promoted itself as the “Cradle of the Confederacy” and “Heart of Dixie.” Tom Parker, the Confederate-flag waiving Chief Justice of the all-white Alabama Supreme Court (in a state that is 26% black), issued a concurring opinion in a case last year where he stated that the state's Supreme Court was not bound by the provisions of the U.S. Constitution or the decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court. In July, the Alabama legislature decided that it was not bound by the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Mulligan v. Allen (June 8, 2023) that mandated the creation of a second majority black Congressional district in the state's redistricting plan. Tuberville’s blockage of Pentagon promotions is the latest act of defiance to national authority. It also evidences the state’s unreasonable, obdurate obstinacy to progress in America. Tuberville’s blockage is celebrated by Alabama's growing, proud, and loud MAGA crowd. After all, Tuberville is Alabama's designated leader of the national movement for the resurgence of state's rights and white supremacy. This state is wallowing in a love fest with former President Donald Trump, who is facing four separate trial on a total of 91 felony charges for his efforts to overturn the certified results of the 2020 presidential election. Succession from the Union, Civil War, open defiance of federal authority, and massive resistance to the protection of constitutional and civil rights of blacks, women, and LBTGQ people are cherished ideals of the Old and New South. Epilogue In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson threatened Governor George C. Wallace with the relocation of the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center from Huntsville to Houston if Wallace acted a fool and brought his segregationist crusade to the Huntsville-metro area. Wallace backed down. Biden should respond to Tommy Tuberville’s and the state of Alabama’s unreasonable, obdurate obstinacy by closing all five of the military bases in Alabama, immediately. Biden should let Tommy Tuberville and Governor Kay Ivey (R-Alabama) find replacement jobs for the civilian employees who will lose their jobs when these bases are closed. The nation would be better served by divesting its military assets from the grip of small-minded, proudly racist, statewide public officials in Alabama. ********************************** All articles are shared on Facebook and Twitter. If you would like to follow Donald Watkins, please click on the links below and hit the follow button: https://www.facebook.com/donald.v.watkins https://twitter.com/donaldvwatkins