It is not illegal to be blameworthy of something, but it is illegal to break laws openly wilfully. We should not fear the virulence of the right wing orders of this former president and thereby back off from prosecutions,. It is fear that drives the argument. Why do we have law at all? If we truly believe in rule of law, we will not approach the prosecution of donald j. Trump through fear, but through belief that maybe, just maybe, some of our institut s, for example, the justice system, can be put to the service of truth. Thank you, david.
On January 6 2021 a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S Capitol seeking to overturn the 2020 presidential election result. Rioters overran police and broke through windows chanting ‘stop the steal’ while threatening Vice President Mike Pence with violence. The moment sent shockwaves through America as people tried to understand how this could be happening in the world’s most powerful democracy. There is now growing pressure on the Department of Justice to prosecute Trump for his role in the incident after a set of public hearings revealed damning evidence of his actions. But others argue that while Trump’s conduct after the November 2020 election was reprehensible, not every wrongdoing, even a highly consequential one, is a crime. Who’s right and who’s wrong? To find out, we invited David Blight, Sterling Professor of American History at Yale University, and Rich Lowry, Editor-in-chief of National Review, to debate the issue. Our host for this discussion is journalist, academic and former White House correspondent for the BBC, Philippa Thomas.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices