George Conway, who needs no introduction, has penned for the Washington Post a 5,000-word essay on the legal and ethical merits of prosecuting Donald Trump. Some of his crimes were video-taped or audio-recorded, others are chronicled in plain black-and-white print, hence the heavy burdens of state and federal prosecution would at times be lightened, although one can never know in which direction a jury might turn. In any event, the former president's crimes include:
Twelve identified obstructions of justice and perjury related to possible Russia collusion; extortion of Ukraine and bribery; violations of federal campaign finance laws — which the Justice Department has "already determined that Trump committed"; mail and wire fraud; state bank, insurance and tax fraud (including additional, federal mail and wire fraud); "his use of public resources and employees in support of his reelection campaign; his pardons of (and arguable dangling of pardons to) potential witnesses against him; his retaliation against witnesses against him; and his efforts to overturn the election results"; his "'attempts to deprive or defraud residents of a State of a fair and impartially conducted election process,'" barred by both federal and state law; and seditious conspiracy.
Conway ends with an extended and convincing argument for the necessity of Trump's multiple prosecutions. "Fiat justitia, ruat caelum — 'Let justice be done, though the heavens may fall.'" Otherwise, "we might as well say, flat-out, that presidents are above the law."