"This is one of the worst days that Donald Trump has had since January 6th, and legally up on par with some of the Mueller indictment days," the MSNBC host said.
July 2, 2021

Ari Melber made history on Deadline White House by citing Jay Z lyrics, according to Nicolle Wallace, but more importantly, he broke down in plain English why Thursday's indictment of Allen Weisselberg and the Trump Org is nothing for Trumpies to feel relieved about. Melber's take urges patience to those who are dissatisfied that The Former Guy wasn't perp-walked down 5th Avenue all the way to the courthouse today.

"It's a long, interesting indictment. But at its core is the allegation that Donald Trump is at the helm of a criminal enterprise. That's what's new today. That's why the New York DA did the research, did the investigation, and indicted," he explained. "This is not nothing, that a recently departed former president who touts his business acumen above all, and is synonymous with his company, has been indicted for being at the helm of it, and sometimes we look to other insights."

That's when Melber turned Deadline WH into The Beat and couldn't resist bringing in some Jay Z lyrics to help his analogy along.

"Donald Trump always wanted to be bigger than he was, many around him have said. He seems to want to be a Jay-Z-type billionaire, who famously said, 'I'm not a businessman. I'm a business, man, let me handle my business, damn." If the business is Trump and Trump is the business, the business is indicted today and the DA is saying, 'Maybe you shouldn't be able to handle your business, because it's illegal.'"

Wallace asked, basically, what's next? Do Vanki and Donnie Jr. still go to work at the indicted criminal enterprise? Are banks cool with the organization, still? Keep running your golf courses? Melber explained that the indictment is a legal cloud that hangs over the company that constricts it in many ways.

"So if they want a new loan or want to do new business or even in other countries they want to go somewhere, they are the currently indicted company. So that hangs over them in a practical sense. In a legal sense they have to spend resources and money defending this," said Melber, before laying out the possible outcomes for the Trump org.

"There are companies that sometimes beat these kinds of charges, possible. They also sometimes have companies that settle and agree to fines or other things. David was mentioning receivership which is a thing that is severe in other contexts. And then you have the open question of whether cooperation leads to larger legal exposure for other company executives, other ways the company runs or, yes, the founder himself," he said. And we all know who the top criminal in that enterprise is.

Melber finished with the lovely notion that TFG is, more likely than not, having a very bad, no good couple of days.

"I think you hit it on the head, Nicolle, anyone watching and saying, 'Oh, wow, there goes Donald Trump, Teflon Don.' The last time I checked, teflon would keep your accountant and company out of handcuffs, proverbially for the corporation, and literally for Mr. Weisselberg today. This is one of the worst days that Donald Trump has had since January 6th, and legally up on par with some of the Mueller indictment days. The fact he hasn't been indicted yet, quote/unquote, and only his company, doesn't sound like victory lap material."

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

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