Profs. James D. Long and Victor Menaldo in the Op-Ed section of The Seattle Times note that the indictments of former President Donald Trump may be an untravelled road for the U.S., prosecutions in other democracies show what could be ahead.
"In early June, a federal grand jury indicted former President Donald Trump on 37 felony counts related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents...If found guilty, Trump could conceivably spend the rest of his life in prison.
While the impact this indictment will have on his 2024 campaign and our democracy is unclear, we can learn a lot by exploring how prosecutions of former leaders have played out in other countries."
Using examples of how prosecutions of former leaders in Israel, France, South America, and South Korea fared, Long and Menaldo ask, "...does going after former leaders who engaged in wrongdoing during their tenure help safeguard democracy by upholding the rule of law and promoting accountability, or does it stoke division and polarization, potentially contributing to democratic backsliding?"
For the professor's thoughts and the full article, please link here.