The indictment of Donald Trump could have significant implications for the country. It shows that no one, not even a former president, is above the law and can be held accountable for their actions. It sets a precedent for future presidents and public officials that they can be charged with crimes if there is sufficient evidence.
The indictment also raises questions about the state of our democracy and the rule of law. It demonstrates that our legal system is able to hold even the most powerful individuals accountable for their actions. It may also provide a sense of justice for those who believe that Mr. Trump's actions while in office were unethical or illegal.
Overall, the indictment of Donald Trump signals a commitment to upholding the principles of democracy and the rule of law, regardless of a person's status or position in society. It serves as a reminder that nobody is above the law and that justice can prevail in even the most challenging circumstances.
If that were not enough to shake the timbers of the republic, the first may not be the last. Mr. Trump could face a second indictment in Georgia and a third from federal prosecutors and potentially even a fourth.
There is consternation that the barrier-shattering indictment would involve something as unseemly as paying hush money to cover up a sexual romp. Given that the defendant has been involved in far more earth-shattering events like trying to overturn an election and inspiring an attack on the Capitol to prevent the transfer of power, the allegations by Manhattan prosecutors seem less than epochal.
But if the issue is accountability, then the case could redraw the lines and make it less daunting for prosecutors in Georgia and Washington to follow suit by charging more serious crimes if they have the evidence, since they will not have to bear the burden of justifying action never taken before. Leave it to the only president ever impeached in Congress twice to face so many prosecutions that lawyers need a scorecard just to keep track.
While the indictment of Mr. Trump takes the country into uncharted waters, the authors of the Constitution might have been surprised only that it took so long. Justice Department policy maintains that sitting presidents cannot be indicted, but the framers explicitly contemplated the prospect of them being charged after leaving office.
A president impeached by the House and convicted and removed from office by the Senate “shall nevertheless be liable and subject to indictment, trial, judgment and punishment, according to law,” Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution declares.
“Generally, we consider that language to suggest that, whatever may happen with respect to an impeachment while a president is in office, he still may be held liable civilly or criminally after he leaves office for his misconduct in office,” said Michael J. Gerhardt, a constitutional law professor at the University of North Carolina.
In other words, no former president was immune from criminal liability. “The framers would have been horrified at the possibility of a president ever being above the law while in office or after leaving it,” Mr. Gerhardt said.
What Does the Indictment of Donald Trump Mean for the Country?
1 answer