Justice delayed for Trump would be justice denied for America

It’s not hard to figure out former President Donald Trump’s strategy as he faces a pipeline of potential indictments. He and his lawyers are expected to deflect and delay until the 2024 election and hope he becomes untouchable again by regaining the presidency.

Or if things move more quickly, they’ll appeal up the court system until one of Trump’s appointed judges or the U.S. Supreme Court rule in his favor. But if justice is to be done, the legal system can’t let either scenario happen. So, when it comes to the 34 felony charges Trump faced this week — related to an alleged hush-money scheme to an adult film actress — Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan should do all he can within the law to expedite Trump’s motions and trial.

Symbolically, Trump is facing trial and further indictments not just for the various charges named by grand juries and prosecutors but also for all the minor and more egregious potential illegalities he may have committed without punishment throughout his career. As of last November, Trump had been “credibly accused” of at least 56 crimes since he began his campaign for the presidency in 2015, according to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). If found guilty by a jury of his peers, even one felony conviction with significant jail time would be poetic justice as well as the adjudicated kind.

And although Trump enjoys a fundraising and popularity bump among his supporters, assisted by Republican cries of political persecution, November 2024 is 18 months and likely several other potential indictments away. A lot can happen to loosen his grip as the GOP’s top prospect for its presidential nominee.

In the meantime, we are learning the same thing about several Republicans in Congress as we should have learned from Trump. The longer they get away without being held accountable for their bad behavior, the worse it gets. An example is the House Oversight Committee’s attempt to undermine the justice process and taint the potential jury pool for Trump’s trial by loudly questioning the charges’ legitimacy andManhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s motives for prosecuting the case.

That’s why the Justice Department’s arrests of 1,000 people in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection are not enough. The department’s very full plate should include action against higher-level officials in Trump’s White House and Congress who allegedly assisted the insurrection.

A lot of history is being made right now, and it’s not all bad. It’s remarkable that one man and his minority of loyalists can cause so much sustained turmoil and division in America. It’s revealing some of the vulnerabilities of our democracy while forcing us to test its strength and durability. We will soon find out whether we’ve passed the test.

William S. Becker is co-editor and a contributor to “Democracy Unchained: How to Rebuild Government for the People,” a collection of more than 30 essays by American thought leaders on topics such as the Supreme Court’s perceived legitimacy. Becker has served in several state and federal government roles, including executive assistant to the attorney general of Wisconsin. He is currently executive director of the Presidential Climate Action Project (PCAP), a nonpartisan climate policy think tank unaffiliated with the White House.