Above the law – tragedy for the US

 

Donald Trump
The message is that Trump is above the law

Wolfgang Hansson

This is a commenting text. Analysis and positions are the writer's.

Published 21.35

Quick version

• Donald Trump is avoiding prosecution for federal crimes as the Justice Department's practice is that a sitting president cannot be prosecuted.
• The storming of the Capitol on January 6 and the attempts by Trump to influence the election results have not led to any legal consequences.
• Although the suspicions remain, it seems unlikely that Trump's actions will be tried in court, which is seen as a tragedy for American democracy.

Donald Trumps ran in the election to avoid prison. He seems to have succeeded.

The strange thing is not really that the charges against Trump are dropped.

More astonishing is that the American people have given new confidence to a president who has been accused of trying to initiate a coup d'état.

          

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Prosecutor Jack Smith drops the two federal charges against Trump not because the evidence weakened. The reason is simply that the Justice Department's practice is that a sitting US president cannot be impeached.

By constantly delaying the legal process in recent years, Trump has succeeded in delaying the prosecution.

Since Trump takes office in less than two months, there is no possibility of completing the lawsuits before then.

The consequence is that the ex-president is in practice above the law.

Smith holds a small door open. Perhaps it will be possible to revive the charges when Trump's four years in the White House are over. But today that seems highly unlikely.

That the suspicions will forever hang over Trump is a small consolation.

For the United States, it is a tragedy that one of the greatest threats to American democracy will not be tried in court.

A peaceful transfer of power after an election is one of the cornerstones of democracy. Deliberately trying to prevent it is an extremely serious crime.

That's exactly what Donald Trump tried to do.

Here the Capitol is stormed. Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta / TT News Agency

"A Love Party"

Even after more than 60 courts ruled that there was no reason to suspect fraud in the 2020 election, Trump tried to force his Vice President Mike Pence to refuse to certify the results. Despite the fact that according to the US Constitution he has no right to do so.

That's why Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6, with the slogan "Hang Mike Pence" echoing in the corridors of Congress. They tried to stop the elected officials from approving an election result that all judicial bodies had determined was correct.

140 police officers were injured in the storming, which Trump called "a love fest" during this year's election campaign.

Immediately after the storming, it was condemned by most politicians from both the Democrats and Republicans.

Today it sounds very different. Many Republicans defend the storming, calling the convicted rioters patriots. Trump has promised to pardon them.

There is much to suggest that the fact that he ran for re-election was largely driven by the fact that he would avoid prosecution if he won. At worst, by pardoning himself.

Trump has succeeded on almost every count.

Donald Trump. Photo: Alex Brandon/AP

Is Trump leaving voluntarily?

Charges for his role in the storming of the Capitol and for taking with him large amounts of classified documents from the White House (which he refused to return) are dropped.

Sentencing for porn star hush money conviction postponed until after he is no longer president.

The only remaining threat to Trump is the state indictment in Georgia where he is suspected of trying to change the election results. Many probably remember the phone call to the election officer that Trump asked to "find enough votes" for him to take home the state.

But even this prosecution is in limbo. There are many indications that it may go the same way as the others.

This means that one of the most blatant attempts in the modern history of the United States to carry out a coup d'état will not be tried in court. This at the same time as the Supreme Court earlier this year gave presidents far-reaching immunity.

Something that increases the risk of other presidents in the future carrying out similar attempts to overthrow democracy.

Not least Donald Trump himself. Will he voluntarily relinquish power when he cannot be re-elected in four years? A very reasonable question to ask.

The question also arises why a majority of the American people voted for a presidential candidate who has shown that he does not respect democracy.

It is a complex question that has no definite answers.

The people acquitted Trump

I don't think it's because many Republicans in opinion polls continue to claim that Trump actually won the election in 2020. That's just lip service.

Rather, I think it's about many Trump voters wanting to defend the white majority population's hold on power at all costs.

There, Trump's promises to stop illegal immigration play a big role.

His promises to usher in a new golden age for the US economy are another factor.

The majority seem to think that all politicians are more or less corrupt and were therefore prepared to ignore the conviction against Trump and the other charges.

By electing him, the American people have effectively exonerated Trump.

In the long run, it could have serious consequences for American democracy.

As is the fact that Trump has now vowed to do what he accused the Biden administration of, exploiting the legal system for his own political ends.

Trump intends to take revenge on all those who were behind the perfectly legitimate lawsuits against him.