Trump must be prosecuted

Letting him off before we know the full extent of his crimes would be elite impunity at its worst

Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Getty Images, iStock)

Will Donald Trump face any accountability for his apparent crime spree as president? Part of that question will be answered soon, with the Senate trial for Trump's second impeachment. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi will reportedly send over the article passed by the House on Monday, and while most Senate Republicans are likely going to vote to acquit based on a fake technicality, there will still be a vote.

The more important question is whether Trump will face ordinary legal liability. There are already calls for President Biden to pardon Trump — most recently from Jonathan Rauch at Lawfare. "If we want Biden's presidency to succeed, accountability to be restored and democracy to be strengthened, then a pardon would likely do more good than harm," he argues.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Ryan Cooper

Ryan Cooper is a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. His work has appeared in the Washington Monthly, The New Republic, and the Washington Post.