Trump found guilty
Former President Donald Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records related to his efforts to cover up hush money payments ahead of the 2016 election. All this with just months until voters head to the polls. Trump called the trial "rigged" and "disgraceful."
ZACH: Garrett, We'll start with you. It seems there is no real middle ground when it comes to opinions on this. But regardless, this was historic."
GARRETT: "Oh, yeah. I mean, he's the first president to be charged with a felony. But I've been saying it on this show for months. This was a sham. You have a judge, as we alluded to in the first segment, who has a daughter who's a fundraiser for Kamala Harris, who is fundraising off of this trial. You have Alvin Bragg who is saying he did his job. He's not doing his job. He fulfilled a campaign promise. This is what he ran for office on as a Manhattan D.A. You have the witnesses in this case were laughable at best. You have a porn star who said she didn't do what she did. And you have Michael Cohen who stole, admitted on the stand during the trial that he stole from the Trump Organization. This is it was brought in one of the most liberal jurisdictions in the country where 90 percent of the electorate votes against Donald Trump specifically. This was a no-win proposition for the president. You also had jury instructions, which took an hour and 45 minutes to read where the jury themselves could pick and choose which offenses and they could add to the total that's never been heard of before in anywhere. This is going to get overturned on appeal. This is and I find it interesting that the sentencing for this is right before the national convention for the Republicans. This is a sad day for justice in America. This will be remembered and unfortunately, Pandora's box has been opened."
CATHY: "Well, I feel very differently. Similarly passionate. I am not happy about what has taken place. I think it's a sad situation. But I do believe in the rule of law. I do believe in the jury process. And that there were 12 individuals who sat in that courtroom...they were vetted extensively, as always happens, in a jury trial. They were agreed to by both parties. Both parties put on their cases. And interestingly, the defendant decided not to say anything in the course of the trial, but only to come out after a while, only to do a sideshow after every day of the trial, rather than actually engage in what was going on and speak in his own defense. Lastly, I will say to the notion that the judicial system is rigged or it's somehow a sham. I agree that we have a lot to improve on in our judicial system, but it's not to benefit wealthy white men who on average are not the ones who are paying the price for any sort of bias or any sort of skewed situation in our courts. It's people of color. It's people with mental illness. It's people with drug addiction. And Donald Trump is actually a poster child for the type of person who usually does...gets off quite easily in our judicial system. So I take no pleasure in what happened, but I think that we are a country of laws and if we are a country of laws, then everybody is subject to them."
GARRETT: "Okay. Well, then I very much look forward to the prosecution of President Biden for falsified records and hiding records in his Corvette. I also look forward to the prosecution of President Obama for spying on the Trump campaign."
RFK Jr. campaign in Maine
With the presidential election just months away, one longshot candidate's campaign was in Maine this week. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s running mate. Nicole Shanahan addressed a crowd of several dozen supporters in Kittery. Shanahan, a lawyer and philanthropist, presented herself and Kennedy as a third option to voters disaffected with President Biden and former President Trump. Shanahan and Kennedy's platform centers on resistance to corporations and isolationism. The two have also received criticism for spreading conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and vaccines.
ZACH: "Garrett, Should either Trump or Biden be concerned about potentially...votes being taken away by Kennedy?"
GARRETT: "I think so. You know, I think back I mean, I was very young at the time, but in 1992, when Ross Perot almost won Maine, you know, and I think in a ranked-choice voting scenario, that could be a very real thing. You know, there's a lot to like about RFK for president for me personally. You know, I think his stance on COVID is is I love it personally. I, quite frankly, wish that President Trump would take more of that stance. But, you know, at the end of the day, he's still got to get on the ballot. That's going to be a challenge, I think, for him. But yeah, I think there should be some concern. But at the end of the day, do I think RFK can be president? No, I don't."
CATHY: "I actually agree with Garrett that, you know. You know...he I think of him as a fringe candidate. And I do worry that he puts out so much misinformation, especially about science and vaccines and, you know, that I consider to be misinformation. So there's already one candidate who's into conspiracy theories who's going to be on the on the platform. And I don't want to see a third."
GARRETT: "I know it's too bad that Joe Biden falls into all these conspiracy theories."
King running
It is no surprise, but Senator Angus King is officially running for reelection. His campaign announced it submitted more than 5,000 signatures required to qualify for the November ballot. King, an Independent, spoke to reporters this week promising bipartisanship if he keeps his job.
ZACH: "King's opponents in the November election are independent candidate Jason Cherry, Republican Demi Kouzouna, and Democrat David Castello. Cathy, do any of them stand a chance?"
CATHY: "Absolutely not. I mean, I think, you know, Angus has a stellar reputation. That doesn't mean he's flawless or perfect. But, you know, he is he has done a very good job maintaining a reputation for integrity, for problem-solving, for bringing the extremes together and making sure that things get done. So I think he'll win handily."
ZACH: "And there is this whole working together thing really possible given the current state of affairs?"
GARRETT: "Yes. I mean, and I think that, you know, people like Senator Collins and Senator King to a degree have shown that they can get stuff done in Congress. Maine's always been known for that. You look past our history. Republican, Democrat, they're always the one trying to bring people together. You know, but, you know, let's just call a spade a spade. I mean, Senator King had been caucusing with Democrats for 12 years. So, I mean, we know that that's where he stands. And I thin...I think Cathy's right. I think it's a tough road to hoe for any of the candidates that are on the ballot. The fact that two independents qualified outside of Senator King, this is a ranked-choice election. So I think, you know, we'll see how that lands. But I think he's got a path to victory."
You can watch Political Brew every Sunday on The Morning Report at 6 a.m. You can also catch it any time on NEWS CENTER Maine+.