Trust Trump’s impunity for the law. Trust democratic politics, too

I can’t think of anything good to say about him except maybe this: Donald Trump is predictable. We can trust his impunity for morality and the law. But we can trust something else just as much. We can trust democratic politics.

Consider the new news. Same as the old news.

First, an audio recording was reported to exist of the criminal former president seeming to admit, during a meeting at his New Jersey golf club, that he had “a classified Pentagon document about a potential attack on Iran.” According to CNN, Trump suggested that “he would like to share the information but he’s aware of limitations on his ability post-presidency to declassify records.”

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Second, a transcript of the audio recording was reported. CNN ascertained that Trump showed the government secret, which he knew to be a government secret, to people who did not have security clearances. The transcript shows that Trump knew that he could have declassified it, that he no longer could, because he’s no longer president, and isn’t it amazing that he’s showing it off?

Third, a behind-the-scenes story was reported by the Wall Street Journal, in which federal prosecutors struggled to decide whether to raid Mar-a-Lago in search of additional government secrets – but then “they heard the tape.” Afterward, they asked a grand jury to hand down a 37-count indictment.

Fourth, and finally, there was reporting late Monday of the contents of the recording itself in which Trump can be heard, in his own voice, appearing “to brag about possessing a classified document related to Iran that he acknowledges he did not declassify before leaving office,” according to the Post, which obtained a copy of the audio recording. CNN later aired it.

“See, as president I could have declassified it, now I can’t,” Trump said.

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“Isn’t that interesting? It’s so cool.”

Let’s recap the four parts of the whole truth thus far:

1. A recording (hard evidence) exists. It doesn’t look good for Trump.
2. Here’s a representation of the hard evidence. It’s looking bad.
3. The hard evidence was pivotal to law enforcement. It’s looking worse.
4. Here’s the hard evidence itself. It’s the worst. Trump is the worst.

With each part has come another layer of public understanding of Trump’s crimes. With each part has come another contradiction of his public defense of them. There will almost certainly be more in the offing, because this is how he operates. His impunity for morality and the law has never been immediately apparent. With enough time, though, it becomes bright and beyond doubt.

Donald Trump has now been the center of four unprecedented presidential crimes. He colluded with a foreign enemy to win an election. He extorted a foreign ally to defraud the American people. He led an attempted paramilitary takeover of the United States government. He stole top government secrets.

None of these crimes was immediately apparent. It took a tedious amount of time for the whole truth to emerge. Like reporting of the audio recording, that whole truth emerged in parts, sometimes very small parts, sometimes very big parts. With enough time and with enough public attention, however, it became clear that Trump is what he seems – a man who holds himself above the law.

I say it took a tedious amount of time for the whole truth to emerge. That may seem like a political problem, but it’s not. What we have witnessed, over the course of four unprecedented presidential crimes, is democratic politics at work. What we have witnessed is not only a deterrent to others who might dare to hold themselves above the law, as Trump has, but also an expression of the democratic will. The American people want a president, not a monarch.

The future is unknown. Trump could win back the presidency. He could, with the power of the administration, make his federal crimes melt into the air.

But even if he wins, democratic politics won’t stop. It didn’t stop when he cheated to win the first time. It didn’t stop when he kept cheating after winning. It didn’t stop after he cheated to prevent himself from losing.

We can trust his impunity for morality and the law.

But we can trust something else just as much.

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