Betty Ussach-Schwartz: Long prison sentences for the duped

If the MAGA insurrectionists who have been convicted of various crimes and sentenced to long prison terms are not disappointed that Donald Trump did not subsidize their attorney expenses, perhaps his extensive resources to forestall his own trial will awaken them to his narcissistic and disingenuous character.

Then again, Trump’s ability to maximize every situation to his advantage has emboldened so many of these convicted insurrectionists to double down on their loyalty to him and the righteousness of their cause. Despite not doling out any funds for their defense, they are convinced and satisfied he will pardon all of them when he regains the presidency.

For those who have come to realize that they were duped and exploited, the incarceration becomes a threefold penalty: the loss of their freedom, a criminal record with all the negative implications, and that they allowed themselves to be deceived, manipulated and humiliated. And for those who have defiantly declared that they are warriors in a righteous effort to defy the deep state, and to restore America’s greatness, they will probably never realize, nor admit, that they were pawns in a futile attempt to provide Trump with an imperial presidency.

Betty Ussach-Schwartz

Southampton