Greg Sargent: Trump is demanding immunity for his 1/6 crimes, arguing they were official acts undertaken in office. If courts agree, he'd be totally unshackled in a second term. I asked former WH lawyers what he'd be free to do. Their answers were unnerving. 1/ newrepublic.com/article/1779...

Trump is demanding immunity for his 1/6 crimes, arguing they were official acts undertaken in office. If courts agree, he'd be totally unshackled in a second term. I asked former WH lawyers what he'd be free to do. Their answers were unnerving. 1/ newrepublic.com/article/1779...

How Trump’s Unhinged Immunity Demand Could Unleash a Second-Term Crime Spreenewrepublic.com If the courts decide that insurrection merits immunity, and Trump wins back the presidency, what might he feel emboldened to do in term two?

Former WH lawyers say that depending on how courts rule, Trump might be able to argue that these are official second term acts: *Ordering FBI probe of Fani Willis *Pressuring officials in a key 2026 Senate state to "find" votes That's not all. 2/ newrepublic.com/article/1779...

Here's the thing: None of this is speculative. Trump is openly threatening to abuses his powers in a second term in ways that would almost certainly strain the boundaries of the law. Now imagine him going into this with a grant of immunity. 3/ newrepublic.com/article/1779...

Trump will probably lose. But let's be clear on how extreme his demand truly is. Trump isn't invulnerable. He fears prosecution! He went to great lengths to obstruct the Mueller probe. What happens if he gets immunity-in-advance for a second term? 4/ newrepublic.com/article/1779...

My first piece for @tnr.bsky.social. Please consider subscribing! 5/5 newrepublic.com/article/1779...

How Trump’s Unhinged Immunity Demand Could Unleash a Second-Term Crime Spreenewrepublic.com If the courts decide that insurrection merits immunity, and Trump wins back the presidency, what might he feel emboldened to do in term two?

It’s clear from everything he has written and uttered at every turn this cycle he is completely intent on committing grievous crimes and dismantling our entire Democratic order. That’s his entire MO now.

If he wins again, the Orange One is likely to take his revenge upon anybody who has "wronged" him. And there would be no limits to his actions. None whatsoever.

This is such a shameful part of US Law and Senate history. Entire world, but most of all ,US citizens are waiting for him to finally be arrested,not tolerated as a candidate. People were hanged and electrocuted for treason. Now,his treason is being talked to death,together with democracy.

Biden is going to be the president for at least a year. The court decision would apply to him as well.

If he is shielded does that mean a president could say, cancel elections? Or arrest a former president for nothing?

The same theory makes it legal for Biden to order someone to kill Trump. If that’s how it is decided, the Whitehouse.org petitions will be fun!

I hope he bombs Florida

I would expect regular executions of political opponents, concentration camps for immigrants, unbridled thievery by the administration and family members, regular human rights violations against LGBTQ Americans, and international war crimes that would make a dead Kissinger blush.

If the courts agree then Biden needs to exile his ass to Greenland because that's covered under the same principle.

I think yiure being a little too concerned here, Greg. Things won't fall apart as much as trump may like to fantasise.

I said numerous times that he's likely to lose, and that the point of this is to illustrate the extremity of the demand.

I meant the consequence of his victory seems alarmist to me. I don't think he will be able to unleash that much bedlam

Some of us would rather not find out.

That's entirely fair but I find it hard to consider utter mayhem as a potential derivative of his victory

I found inciting a mob to storm the Capitol and attempt to lynch the Vice President “hard to consider.”

He has already threatened to unleash, as you call it, bedlam, and you don't think given immunity from prosecution that he would do it? You are delusional.

He alone cannot do it. And there's no reason to think the existing political apparatus would allow it to the extent that is feared

The existing political apparatus won't; the one he appoints will.

Greg is doing exactly what we want political journalists to do: tell us the stakes not the odds.

Stakes with overblown odds don't do justice though

Those of us who spent the past decades being told we were being hysterical about SCOTUS and Roe are kind of sick of this attitude. Republicans play the long game. Best case scenario is we live in 2024 Russia, a failed democracy.

Which is fine for a lot of people and a death sentence for those of us being told we're overreacting.

The hysteria around scotus was justified. Everyone knew that was coming. But just bevause that one came true, doesn't mean every dire scenario would play out

Well I'm sorry I'm don't have a crystal ball right now to be able to guess which 50% will so I have to prepare for all of them.

Michael, you're either a practitioner or a victim of resilience targeting and it'd be extremely cool of you to stop.

Genuinely not sure what either of those terms are in aid of. It's mildly interesting that a statement suggesting we don't need to be this alarmed has induced so much criticism.

It's a huge moral hazard. If Trump's laziness and incompetence are the only things holding him or his successors back, republicans are then able to lean further towards fascism and use contemporary powers to set it in motion. Very wise to distrust all of this.

I think that particular ship has already sailed.

Then your recommendations to chill are fully insane.

The ship may have sailed but its not going to moor itself on some dock of utter dystopia.

I think your metaphor has officially run aground.

It's kind of endearing how you're like "there's no chance this will happen" when it's happened in many other parts of the world.

That's exactly the attitude that's going to sink us. (Also, it's "you're")

Don't be boring please.

Too late.

Question: What if Biden said these things? Take an honest look at how you would feel. If Trump is given this immunity, Biden could *legally* cancel all elections and make himself a "Lifetime president." We don't want that.

Doesn't matter who says all these things, too much bluster as it is.

the institutions held (barely), last time. no need for reaction or alarm until they actually do fail. - is one hell of a take!

www.wsj.com/articles/if-...

That's WSJ oped page, so par for the course

That was just the last of literally dozens of things that the public was repeatedly told were too extreme for Trump but that he did anyway. Remember when everyone told us he'd never actually try to ban Muslims from entering the US and then he tried to do it in his first week in office?

Yep, I remember that, but there was and is enough political will for that across the spectrum.

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