By Tyler Alm
No matter how much it seems like donkeys and elephants fight like cats and dogs, both Republicans and Democrats want one thing in common: the best for this country. While a lot of political ads and campaigns are circulating, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are now considered the frontrunners in the upcoming election. As a fairly moderate individual, I extend an offer to both conservatives and liberals: vote for someone else. Rubio, Sanders, or anyone else besides Trump and Clinton. Regardless of political alignment, no one is above the law and both of the candidates are criminals.
People love to make fun of Trump and his failed marriage, but not a lot of talk is circulating around the abuse of Ivana Trump, one of the candidate’s ex-wives. The details behind the assault are dubious, likely due to the gag order, confirmed on the Orlando Sentinel, that limits Ivana from speaking about her relationship with Donald Trump. Out of respect for the wishes of Ivana found on the ABC news site, the word ‘rape’ will not be used as the woman stated that it should not be used in “the legal or literal sense,” but the word was used at first when the two split in 1992. The woman admits to an ‘ugly night’ in 1989, on which she will not give detail. The story is found in “The Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump,” written by journalist Harry Hurt III. A divorce deposition is cited, referring to the woman’s own words on being assaulted. Trump denies the sexual assault claim. However, he would not give any more reason why he was innocent other than “you can’t rape your spouse,” which is the official statement from his lawyer according to New York Daily. Trump is incorrect as marital rape took the long road to criminalization in the mid 1970’s, outlined by Time Magazine. While the alleged rape of Ivana is not one hundred percent concrete due to her recall of words and the vague claims made by Henry Hurt III, Trump still does not have any rebuttal for the verbal abuse elements found in the details of their divorce. Regardless of how Ivana responds to Trump now, or how well they get along according to her, it does not mean she was not assaulted or at least verbally abused. Trump’s marriage is not laughable, but tragic. Trump escaped criminal charges with a gag order and a division of assets, but that does not mean he is now innocent. A domestic abuser and possible rapist has no place in society and, certainly, has no place in the White House.
Hillary Clinton’s crimes are more well known, even televised in comparison to the hidden horrors behind Donald Trump. The former first lady is no stranger to scandal and controversy. Far from it, in fact. From lying to the families of dead soldiers in Benghazi to bashing possible sexual assault victims of Bill Clinton, she has been busy. Her most recent activity has been in the form of her email scandal that has been on almost every news site since it was brought to light. Summarized by CNN, in March of 2015, it was publicized that Hillary Clinton had been using her personal email account to store official governmental emails in varying stages of confidentiality. She was recorded to have deleted up to 32 thousand emails, what they contained being unknown. Up to 80 emails have thus been marked as secret and not for the public’s consumption. The FBI has been looking into the case actively for a full year. Procedure and protocol when it comes to governmental information is of the highest importance. Hacking and possible leaks from an unprotected email account are all too real threats, and now classified secrets may be at risk. While the candidate claims to have done these things for personal convenience, she did sign an agreement to keep these matters in the White House and in the White House only. A recent development in the case may see Clinton on the stand. One of Hillary Clinton’s staffers, Bryan Pagliano, has come forward and been offered immunity for testifying on his part in the emails according to Washington Post. Hillary Clinton cannot abide by the given rules in her current position and it is unlikely she can start to do so when in a much higher position of power. Hillary Clinton made a clear agreement to confidentiality and she broke that trust. Given more information to stow away, Clinton would be untrustworthy and shady. If you cannot trust Clinton to play by the rules, you surely cannot trust her in the Oval Office.
The United States has a small track record of letting legally vague candidates or blatant criminals into office. Richard Nixon is famous for his blunder in the Watergate Scandal, where he attempted to cover up a burglary. Bill Clinton has been accused of sexual assault by numerous women, and after his infamous encounters with Monica Lewinsky, they begin to sound more possible. Criminals and potential law breakers have a small but dark stain on the history of the presidency. By allowing Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton into the White House, that stain is darkened and the responsibility is handed to us. Whether you are a Republican or Democrat, it is not important. Both are necessary for a balanced government. What is important is obeying the law, and neither of the front runners have proven themselves capable of that simple task. If you are over 18, I encourage you to vote for anyone else in the race. As different as Trump and Clinton are, they have one thing in common: legal ambiguity. That is not the trait you want in your next president.
