Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reveled in the indictment of
President Donald Trump Thursday night and revealed a lot about the
Democratic Party's thinking towards persecution from the government.
In a tweet about the indictment, which was filed in unprecedented
fashion by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Pelosi declared
trial is a place for an individual to "prove their innocence."
The legal standard in the United States of America has always been innocent until proven guilty.
3.02 Presumption of Innocence; Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
It
is a cardinal principle of our system of justice that every person
accused of a crime is presumed to be innocent unless and until his or
her guilt is established beyond a reasonable doubt. The presumption is
not a mere formality. It is a matter of the most important substance.
The
presumption of innocence alone may be sufficient to raise a reasonable
doubt and to require the acquittal of a defendant. The defendant before
you, [__________], has the benefit of that presumption throughout the
trial, and you are not to convict [him/her] of a particular charge
unless you are persuaded of [his/her] guilt of that charge beyond a
reasonable doubt.
The presumption of innocence until proven guilty
means that the burden of proof is always on the government to satisfy
you that [defendant] is guilty of the crime with which [he/she] is
charged beyond a reasonable doubt. The law does not require that the
government prove guilt beyond all possible doubt; proof beyond a
reasonable doubt is sufficient to convict. This burden never shifts to
[defendant]. It is always the government's burden to prove each of the
elements of the crime[s] charged beyond a reasonable doubt by the
evidence and the reasonable inferences to be drawn from that evidence.
[Defendant] has the right to rely upon the failure or inability of the
government to establish beyond a reasonable doubt any essential element
of a crime charged against [him/her].
If, after fair and impartial
consideration of all the evidence, you have a reasonable doubt as to
[defendant]'s guilt of a particular crime, it is your duty to acquit
[him/her] of that crime. On the other hand, if, after fair and impartial
consideration of all the evidence, you are satisfied beyond a
reasonable doubt of [defendant]'s guilt of a particular crime, you
should vote to convict [him/her].
Democrats, especially with continued targeting of Trump and his
family, have worked hard to change that standard for their political
enemies.
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