FTA:
Overshadowed by the news that Special Counsel Jack Smith secretly obtained access to Donald Trump’s Twitter account, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit relegated a blockbuster revelation to a footnote.
“The district court also found reason to believe that the former President would ‘flee from prosecution,’” it began.
Honestly? I don’t think that’s even the worst thing that could happen. Trump in exile is not Trump in the Oval Office.
Maybe that’s why they haven’t cracked down on him. Justice is about accountability and preventing future harm, it’s not supposed to be purely punitive or retaliatory, and if he exiled himself and was convicted in absentia that would take care of a lot of issues vs the hazard of him being a “political prisoner” for years on end.
Many coup and counter-coup leaders in history end up in exile as a bargain: don’t try to retake the throne and bring more pain to our people and we won’t seek vengeance.
Like napoleon. It’s better to give him the death sentence.
But Trump himself hasn’t done too much awful stuff: it’s his insane followers who have killed people and tried to overthrow the government, he just rides those waves. Could you imagine what DeSantis could do to rile up actual fascism if America executed Trump for treason? Never givea heavily armed fascist 40% of a country a martyr.