[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Boy, you're really on a roll with god-awful takes today, aren't you? What do you think future Republican presidents/lawmakers will do if they believe there are no consequences for illegal actions?

This law professor who literally wrote a book about demagogues warns it would be a really bad idea to prosecute Trump. But hey, what does he know about it.

Spoiler!

...An investigation and potential indictment and trial of Mr. Trump would give the circus of the Trumpian presidency a central place in American politics for the next several years, sucking the air out of the Biden administration and feeding into Mr. Trump’s politically potent claims to martyrdom. Mr. Trump will portray the prosecution as revenge by the “deep state” and corrupt Democrats.

For many people, and not just his supporters, the charge will resonate. Prosecution based on technical statutes that have never before been applied to a president would convert this narrative into a powerful mythology that will haunt American politics for years to come.

The Democrats cannot win. If they push forward, prosecutors may drop the case or narrow it down to nothing in response to adverse judicial rulings. If they get to trial, Mr. Trump and his lawyers will turn the tables on the government and attack it for its partisan motivation.

Acquittal would be Mr. Trump’s crowning achievement, but even conviction would enhance his political standing with half the country by completing his martyrdom. If the goal of a trial of Donald Trump is to renew American faith in government, the effect will be the opposite.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/03/o...osecution.html

Edit: Anyway, it's a moot point. Biden and his advisors aren't stupid enough to turn the first two years of his administration into a ####ing circus with Trump as the main attraction.