Trump’s Legal Jeopardy and America’s Political Crossroads

<p>Donald Trump’s legal troubles are mounting. A Manhattan grand jury investigation into the hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels could soon make Trump the first former American president ever to be criminally indicted.</p><p>But the Manhattan case isn’t the only source of legal risk for Trump. In Georgia, the Fulton County district attorney is considering criminal charges for Trump’s efforts to influence the 2020 election, and the Department of Justice is investigating his role in the Jan. 6 riots and the removal of classified documents from the White House.</p><p>This level of legal vulnerability surrounding a former president is unprecedented. It’s also unsurprising — Trump routinely flouts protocols and norms. But even more than his disregard for convention, Trump has a knack for forcing our legal and political systems into predicaments that don’t really have good solutions. How should a political system handle criminal charges against a current political candidate? Is it appropriate for prosecutors to consider the risk of mob violence in weighing charges? And what’s the risk of damage to our institutions of holding Trump accountable — and for failing to do so?</p><p><i>[You can listen to this episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” on </i><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ezra-klein-show/id1548604447" target="_blank"><i>Apple</i></a><i>, </i><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3oB5noYIwEB2dMAREj2F7S" target="_blank"><i>Spotify</i></a><i>, </i><a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c4a3b1da-5433-49e6-8c14-0e1da53be78c/the-ezra-klein-show" target="_blank"><i>Amazon Music</i></a><i>, </i><a href="https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS84MkZJMzVQeA%3D%3D" target="_blank"><i>Google</i></a><i> or </i><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/19/opinion/how-to-listen-ezra-klein-show-nyt.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article" target="_blank"><i>wherever you get your podcasts</i></a><i>.]</i></p><p>David French, my colleague at The New York Times, is