Doing Illegal Things

President Trump has legal protection for things he does while serving as president. It’s called IMMUNITY. The US Supreme Court made him immune from prosecution, which stopped all federal cases against him. If he had lost the election in 2024, he could have faced jail time for 34 felony convictions. While he remains president, he cannot be prosecuted for things he did before or most actions he takes while in office.

What about the people who follow his orders?

Steve Bannon, a Trump ally, spoke to a conservative group in November. He said “I will tell you right now, as God is my witness, if we lose the midterms and we lose 2028, some in this room are going to prison—myself included,”

Trump is doing things that are against the law. He bypassed congress - the part of our government that makes laws - to fire federal employees and shut down entire government agencies, days after starting his second term. These Agencies were created by Congress, and Congress is the only power with the legal right to close them.

Trump stopped payments that were already approved by Congress for programs Congress created. This was illegal. Republican members of Congress looked the other way and did not demand he follow the law. The Trump Administration and his staff also accepted money and gifts from foreign governments and corporations, violating the Emoluments Clause of Article 1 of our constitution. The clause says government officials cannot accept money or gifts from other countries. They know accepting that money is illegal.

If any of those involved in these acts is ever brought in front of a judge and questioned about it, perhaps they might say, “I was just following orders”. This is known as the Nuremberg Defense and it did not work for Nazi leaders after World War II.

Trump might stay safe from punishment because of his immunity, but those who helped him break the law can be in trouble. In this case, it would be wise for his supporters to do everything in their power to not ever be prosecuted. That could mean preventing any other political power from ever taking control of government and the Department of Justice.

In the coming years we will likely see many people doing what it takes to never be prosecuted. One way to do that is to be sure the elections go their way, even if done illegally. We have to make sure the elections are fair, under state control and not controlled by armed troops.

By Ben Boardman and Friends.