Robert Reich: Trump Is Indicted – OpEd
By Robert Reich
Donald Trump has been indicted.
You’re going to hear three basic criticisms of this indictment. Let me rebut each in turn.
1. This is a dangerous precedent to set.
Rubbish. In order for the justice system to work, there must be trust that the system will not play favorites or ignore the wrongdoing of the powerful.
Donald Trump has done everything possible over the last seven years to destroy that trust for his own political gain.
America never quite recovered from Gerald Ford’s decision to pardon Richard Nixon for all crimes he might have committed.
“No one is above the law” is only true if we make it so. Holding our leaders accountable is vital to maintaining trust in our legal system, and the survival of our democracy itself.
2. The indictment plays into Trump’s claims that he’s the victim of a witch hunt, and will further rile his core supporters.
Undoubtedly some Trump supporters will be upset by this. The indictment will confirm for them that Trump is not only being prosecuted but also being persecuted.
But Trump has used every move against him so far — whether by the FBI, the Justice Department, Congress, or even opponents in the Republican Party — to claim he’s a victim of a witch hunt. This indictment is no different.
His entire campaign in based on variations of this same grievance.
3. This is the weakest of the cases now being prepared against Trump
To be sure, paying hush money to cover up something embarrassing during a presidential campaign is not nearly on the same level as asking Georgia’s secretary of state to “come up” with the exact number of votes needed to reverse the outcome of Georgia’s presidential election, or fomenting an attack on the U.S. Capitol.
And it may be true that an allegation like this is usually treated as a misdemeanor rather than a felony.
None of this alters the fact that a grand jury had enough evidence in this case to decide that Trump broke the law. That’s the critical point. A federal judge can decide whether the case rises to a felony or is more appropriately treated as a misdemeanor. The overriding issue is that no person is above the law, not even a former president.
The other cases will be ready soon enough.
What do you think?
As the cases against Mr. Trump are being developed in different offices in different states , can the order re: when the cases arise, be manipulated ?