Norman Eisen, a senior fellow at Brookings, was President Barack ObamaвЂ™s ethics czar and ambassador to the Czech Republic, and served as special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee during the first Trump impeachment. Bush administration, is an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law. attorney in the Reagan administration and deputy attorney general in the George H.W. Vance has put it, вЂњno one - not even a president - is above the law.вЂќДonald Ayer, a former U.S. While the ultimate question of guilt or innocence will be left to a state judge and a jury, the investigation upholds the most fundamental precept of American governance: As Mr. The ultimate value of the district attorneyвЂ™s investigation is simple: accountability. We believe that the ability of state authorities to engage on these issues is a great strength of our federal system. Trump has for decades centered his business dealings, his office bears the greatest public responsibility for the integrity of the law enforcement process. VanceвЂ™s case, as the lead law enforcement official in the locale where Mr. There are certainly people who will perceive politics behind any state investigation, but Mr. Vance did, she has brought in an outside expert and is pressing forward in a low-key but serious fashion.ДЇor these state and local officials, the political considerations obviously weigh differently than they do for the Biden administration. Trump and his alliesвЂ™ startling behavior under her stateвЂ™s criminal law. Fani Willis, the district attorney of Fulton County, Ga., is also investigating Mr. And itвЂ™s not just the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr., and the New York attorney general, Letitia James. Whatever path the attorney general may find appropriate in the future, for now America is fortunate to have strong institutional players in the states and localities. Trump himself the explicit focus of his efforts, and so to avoid the swirl of controversy that surrounds the former president. Trump persists in his efforts to undermine our democracy? The answer is carefully, by the exercise of restraint, and by focusing the use of power on the most critical problems that must be addressed most urgently. How does one administer justice without inviting cynical allegations of political motivation, given the history of the past four years, and while Mr. GarlandвЂ™s judicious approach to investigating Mr. We believe the criticisms that have been raised regarding Mr. 6 developing and moving forward with a comprehensive program to address and combat domestic terrorism and strong litigation action against state voter suppression laws, including suing in Georgia. These actions include vigorous pursuit of the prosecutions of the insurgents who invaded the Capitol on Jan. With this concern in mind, Attorney General Garland has taken forceful action in a number of areas posing the greatest threats to our system of government and law. Attorney General Merrick Garland has in turn made clear that under his watch, вЂњpolitical or other improper considerations must play no role in any investigative or prosecutorial decisions.вЂќ Trump or any Trump entities, President Biden has properly determined to leave the matter to the Justice Department. With respect to any potential federal charges relating to any wrongs arguably perpetrated by Mr. But this criticism ignores the unprecedented circumstances here, in which the subjects are business associates and interests of a former president. Cynics responding to the indictment may complain that the Justice Department has allowed New York prosecutors to take the lead in holding Mr. Most fundamentally, we see the filing of charges as a critical step in demonstrating the resilience of American federalism. Trump remains at risk on multiple issues. Trump will be indicted, an outcome that will depend on a host of factors, perhaps most important whether Mr.

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