What better way for the Trump haters at MSNBC to celebrate Easter than to fantasize about Donald Trump spending next Easter in "a prison cell," reading his God Bless the USA Bible?
As we've noted here, former MSNBC host Tiffany Cross loved to fantasize about Trump being subjected to a COPS-style arrest: "dragged out on the White House lawn," and his head pushed down to shove him into the back seat of a cop car.
On Easter Sunday's episode of The Weekend, MSNBC legal analyst Kristy Greenberg perpetuated Cross's inglorious tradition. Discussing Trump's criticisms of Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over Trump's trial in the Stormy Daniels hush money case brought against him by far-left Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, and Mercham's daughter, Greenberg said:
"It's just so dumb for this defendant to antagonize judges. He got a $464 million judgment against him the last time he tried it. And now, he's antagonizing a judge who could, you know, have his liberty at stake. Next Easter, he could be looking at reading his -- having nothing to do but read his God Bless the USA Bible in a prison cell if he keeps this up."
Greenberg's snarky shot about the God Bless America Bible that Trump has been promoting reflects her animus, and the anticipatory schadenfreude she was experiencing at the prospect of Trump behind bars.
Co-anchor Michael Steele was sadly pessimistic that any judge would have the courage to jail Trump, demanding to know, "at what point do we say enough is enough?"
Later, co-anchor Symone Sanders-Townsend suggested that Trump should be accosted by the Secret Service in connection with his posting of an image of President Biden tied up in the back of a pick-up truck. She also called on Senate Democrats to take related action against Trump.
Tim O'Brien, another MSNBC analyst, agreed, saying "what he says isn't just speech, and it isn't just criticism. In a sense, he is inciting people to commit violence and to erode the system of governance and the rule of law, and he should be held accountable immediately."
Here's the transcript.
MSNBC
The Weekend
3/31/24
8:01 am EDTALICIA MENENDEZ: Let's start this hour with MSNBC political analyst and Bloomberg senior executive opinion editor Tim O'Brien. Also joining us, former federal former prosecutor and MSNBC legal analyst Kristy Greenberg. Good morning to you both.
SYMONE SANDERS-TOWNSEND: Good morning, guys. Look, I think what was most concerning for me in the most recent post from Donald Trump is that the post that we -- and we obviously didn't put this up on the screen, but the post that we showed, he also included pictures of the judge's daughter there.
And the question that I had is why? Why would he include the photos of his daughter? Why does Donald Trump continuously attack the judge? And it, perhaps it just boils down to that he is trying to intimidate them. Intimidate the judge. Intimidate the court and legal system. But that's just my theory. Kristy, what say you?
. . .KRISTY GREENBERG: So, I think what you'll see is the imposition of a condition to his pre-trial release, saying you cannot threaten or incite violence against anyone. And if you violate that pre-trial condition, then you are going to get the stiffest sanction that I can impose, and that would include jail time.
I mean, again, it's just so dumb for this defendant to antagonize judges. He got a $464 million judgment against him the last time he tried it. And now, he's antagonizing a judge who could, you know, have his liberty at stake.
Next Easter, he could be looking at reading hus -- having nothing to do but read his God Bless the USA Bible in a prison cell if he keeps this up.
. . .
MICHAEL STEELE: Tim, on that last point, I'm sorry, I just don't believe it. I don't believe Donald Trump, none of these judges are gonna put this man in jail. I mean, for me, at what point do we say enough is enough?
. . .
SANDERS-TOWNSEND: We brought up the Secret Service a couple of times. And I think it's worth noting that this is -- and someone can, feel free to fact check me on this but I feel confident in stating, this is the first time that it is a current protectee the of the United States Secret Service, i.e., Donald Trump, who is issuing the real threats against another protectee of the United States Secret Service, the current President of the United States, Joe Biden.
And I would just note, the Secret Service doesn't have to go visit Donald Trump, because he is currently under Secret Service protection. Now, the folks on his detail, those are the people who are with him all the time, you cannot possibly expect his own detail to reprimand him.
But I think this begs the question, what is the director the Secret Service, the folks at the top, what are they doing? Because Joe Biden is the President of the United States of America. Not Donald Trump. It is Joe Biden, the President of the United States, who is being directly threatened by someone that -- sure, you can say Donald Trump is not going to carry out the attack, but someone else potentially could. And they have visited folks for less.
So, like, Tim, I don't know what the view is from Trump -- you know Trump world better than anybody that I know here. What do you think the view is from Trump world on this, and frankly, do you think we're going to see anything from the director of the Secret Service? Congress maybe should place a call? Hello: calling Dems in the Senate.
. . .TIM O'BRIEN: We should just be very clear that given his power, his rank, and his past, what he says isn't just speech, and it isn't just criticism. In a sense, he is inciting people to commit violence and to erode the system of governance and the rule of law, and he should be held accountable immediately.
