NYT’s Mara Gay Makes Bizarre Claim ‘Anybody Else Would Be Held Accountable’ in Trump’s Civil Fraud Case

The New York Times‘ Mara Gay made a typically bizarre and unfounded claim on MSNBC’s Morning Joe Thursday morning, insisting that “anyone” would have been prosecuted for fraud after committing the alleged infractions Donald Trump did in New York.

After host Joe Scarborough expressed some concern about the “state cases” against the former president, Gay, a member of the Gray Lady’s editorial board, told Scarborough “I hear you” before submitting that “the larger risk is actually in allowing Donald Trump to continue his ongoing impunity.”

“You know, anybody else in the United States if they committed crimes, which he may have done. Or if he committed civil fraud, as inflating the cost of his real estate assets, anybody else would be prosecuted for that. Anybody else would be held accountable,” she insisted.

“I actually think that there’s every reason to go after anybody who has potentially committed crimes,” continued Gay. “Afterwards, he has every right to appeal as well, just like any other American. So I say, let the legal system play out. And, you know, it’s hard to have sympathy because after his braggadocious behavior for all of these years, you know, yes, Trump Tower is at stake. Well, this is what happens again. All the rest of us have to pay the rent. We have to pay our bills.”

Gay’s monologue is reflective of her tremendous ability and manifest willingness to use her platform to spout off about issues she has obviously never studied in any meaningful way.

While she submits that “anybody” would be held accountable for Trump’s alleged wrongdoing in the civil fraud case, legal scholars say the exact opposite. In fact, an “Associated Press analysis of nearly 70 years of civil cases under the law” conducted earlier this year showed that “Trump’s case stands apart in a significant way: It’s the only big business found that was threatened with a shutdown without a showing of obvious victims and major losses.”

And although Judge Arthur Engoron did not ultimately close the Trump Organization’s doors, the penalty he did impose is so sweeping that Trump is unable to post the bond that he needs to in order to appeal Engoron’s decision, contra Gay’s assertion that “he has every right to appeal.”

Neither Trump’s lenders nor anyone else seems to have suffered any damages as a result of Trump’s actions, leading various lawyers to lament the targeting of Trump.

“This sets a horrible precedent,” one lawyer who had sued the former president told the AP.

“Who suffered here? We haven’t seen a long list of victims,” observed a law professor.

“Is he getting his just desserts because of the fraud, or because people don’t like him?” asked another.

This last comment hints at another treasure trove of evidence that Trump is being targeted for who he is rather than what he’s done in this particular instance.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, who brought the suit against Trump, campaigned for her office by promising to target Trump. “We will use every area of the law to investigate President Trump and his business transactions and that of his family as well,” James told NBC News shortly after being elected in November 2018.

Considered alongside the lack of precedent for the penalty levied against Trump, James’s comments should make it plain to to any honest observer that it’s simply not the case that any other American would face similar repercussions for similar acts.

Trump faces criminal prosecution in Georgia and federal court for attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election. He faces an even more uphill battle for taking and refusing to turn over classified documents after he eventually left the White House. There are reasonable cases to be made for why he is guilty in the former two and a nearly ironclad one to be made against him in the latter.

But James’s frivolous lawsuit, Engoron’s preposterous punishment, and fellow New Yorker Alvin Bragg’s cobbled-together case against Trump all undermine the more fair cases against the former president and lend credence to his claim that he is a victim being targeted by powerful forces who have it out for him and his fans.

The rule of law cuts both ways. It’s true that one should get off because of who they are, but it’s also true that no one should be punished for the same reason.

Mara Gay is no friend to the rule of law, but that’s probably to the benefit of those of us who really believe in it.

Watch above via MSNBC.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.