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Donald Trump is well aware of the fact that he’s facing serious legal troubles, including possible indictments. Not surprisingly, this has led the former president to hire a small army of defense attorneys.
This week, the Republican used his social media platform to complain about all of this in a curious way.
“Because of the Weaponization, Targeting, and Unprecedented Harassment, I believe that I have more lawyers working for me on this Corrupt Law Enforcement induced Bull…. than any human being in the history of our Country, including even the late great gangster, Alphonse Capone! This is all being done for POLITICAL REASONS in that I am leading everybody, Republicans & Democrats, by big numbers in the Polls. The Disinformation Specialists are at it again, full time. The Fake News is their TOOL!”
Obviously, much of this is nonsense, and there’s no reason to believe the criminal investigations Trump is facing are the result of a corrupted process. But what stood out for me was the fact that the former president lumped himself in with Al Capone.
What’s more, this wasn’t the first time.
About a year ago, in an online statement that’s since been deleted, Trump also whined about his legal difficulties by complaining, “Never before has this happened to another President, and it is an absolute violation of my civil rights.... I’ve been investigated by the Democrats more than Billy the Kid, Jesse James, and Al Capone, combined.”
At face value, it’s obviously unfortunate to see the former president present himself to the public as some kind of victim, solely because a variety of prosecutors in multiple jurisdictions are taking a closer look at his alleged wrongdoing.
But revisiting our coverage from last year, it’s still Trump’s comparison that stands out: The Republican apparently thought it’d be a good idea to issue a written statement in which he lumped himself in with a murderer, a notorious bank robber, and one of the most powerful organized crime figures in American history.
Ten months later, he still thinks it’s a good idea to lump himself in with Capone.
It’s one thing when the former president’s critics equate his alleged misconduct with infamous criminals; it’s something else when Trump does this to himself.