As of today, there are exactly 65 days remaining until Election Day. And, as of today, President Donald Trump is behind in the polls to his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, with the latest Real Clear Politics poll of polls showing Biden holding a steady 6.9 percent lead over the incumbent president while more Americans die each day from coronavirus and the U.S. economy remains in a deep recession, including 31 million unemployed.
What, you may ask, could possibly be worse than the deep hole Trump sees himself in with just over two months until the votes are counted?
As Frank Vogl notes in an illuminating article he wrote for The Globalist, there may well a proverbial “October Surprise” waiting in the wings that could completely sink whatever chances of winning Trump still has left.
That October Surprise will likely originate in New York, the birthplace of Donald Trump, and it will probably take place in a New York courthouse:
“One clock is ticking in New York City where criminal charges could be announced against Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization.”
What might that entail? Very possibly criminal indictments of bank and insurance fraud against both the president and his company, which is currently headed by his two eldest sons, Don Jr. and Eric.
But even if indictments aren’t handed down before November 3, court documents could still lay out all sorts of criminal behavior by the president and the company that bears his name, Vogl explains:
“Delaying tactics by Trump’s lawyers could backfire. If they continue to declare that (Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus) Vance is just on a vague fishing expedition in seeking Trump’s tax records, then Vance could file a detailed brief to the courts — which might be made public.
“Such a document, perhaps based in part on the Deutsche Bank information, could amount to a stunning catalogue of tax and general business frauds.”
No sitting president has ever been criminally indicted while serving in office. That alone would make such a happening both historic and politically damaging for Trump, who is already seen by many Americans as being less than honest and possibly involved in all sorts of illegal behavior.
While we cannot possibly know if or when Vance’s office will file charges, we can certainly surmise that he already has a wealth of information about the president and the Trump Organization. And if any of that information comes to light before Election Day, it could spell the end of the road for Donald Trump and the beginning of his new career: Criminal defendant.
It promises to be a very interesting 65 days.