What does "immune" mean?
In medicine, it's clear. A person cannot catch a disease. But in current politics, the debate is whether a government official can be prosecuted for alleged wrongdoing, either while in office or later, or whether the supposed action was related to official duties.
Part of the argument may rely on whether the Constitution specifies that a President is immune from prosecution. For anything. Ever. Under any circumstance. At any time.
That's the core of the debate between law enforcement officials and followers of Donald Trump, the former president now seeking to regain his office.
(Whether he was legitimately ousted or not re-elected is a separate argument.)
History notes that the writers of the Constitution relied on British precedent, which had the tradition that a monarch, as ruler of all, could not be prosecuted. Currently, some Americans insist that Trump enjoys similar immunity.
But he's not a king, much as he may act like one. A bigger danger is that many Americans believe he should be a total, unquestionable leader. That raises the question of whether he will -- if elected again -- follow the Constitutional rule that limits him to two terms.
Unless he dictates some things during his first four months in office -- as dictator, to use his own phrasing -- and then returns to the Constitutional rule after suspending the Constitution.
If in fact he does return.
The kicker in this argument is whether a new dictator will give up total power in a certain time frame, as promised.
Promises, promises.
In medicine, it's clear. A person cannot catch a disease. But in current politics, the debate is whether a government official can be prosecuted for alleged wrongdoing, either while in office or later, or whether the supposed action was related to official duties.
Part of the argument may rely on whether the Constitution specifies that a President is immune from prosecution. For anything. Ever. Under any circumstance. At any time.
That's the core of the debate between law enforcement officials and followers of Donald Trump, the former president now seeking to regain his office.
(Whether he was legitimately ousted or not re-elected is a separate argument.)
History notes that the writers of the Constitution relied on British precedent, which had the tradition that a monarch, as ruler of all, could not be prosecuted. Currently, some Americans insist that Trump enjoys similar immunity.
But he's not a king, much as he may act like one. A bigger danger is that many Americans believe he should be a total, unquestionable leader. That raises the question of whether he will -- if elected again -- follow the Constitutional rule that limits him to two terms.
Unless he dictates some things during his first four months in office -- as dictator, to use his own phrasing -- and then returns to the Constitutional rule after suspending the Constitution.
If in fact he does return.
The kicker in this argument is whether a new dictator will give up total power in a certain time frame, as promised.
Promises, promises.
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