Donald Trump’s conviction is nothing more than a ‘thrill kill’

After years of trying — in the words of the judge — “to get the damned rascal in this court,” it was a conviction that many welcomed. 

But those words were not from Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, and the conviction was not that of former President Donald Trump. 

Rather they were from US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase, at the end of the 18th century, when America embraced political prosecutions to target critics and opponents. 

The man on trial then was James T. Callender, a muckraking writer critical of President John Adams.

For accusing politicians of corruption, Callender was charged with sedition, fined $200 and put in prison. 

It was one of the many political prosecutions carried out by the Adams administration.