It has been a longstanding tradition in American politics that upon leaving office, Presidents are secure from investigation and prosecution. Most recently, despite the demands of many, George Bush and his administration were not hounded by Obama for their pursuit of war in Iraq. This is a norm that has served the nation well. But given the norm-breaking nature of the present administration, the Democratic party needs to make clear: once they retake the reigns of power, they will convene a kind of Truth and Reconciliation Commission, investigating and pursuing the malfeasance of the Trump administration, even after he leaves office.
In these troubling days, a question that often comes to the fore is how can we pull the country back from the brink? We’ve had decade after decade of the right becoming increasingly unhinged, evermore willing to put party before nation. They have gone on partisan witch hunts for the flimsiest of reasons, pursued an agenda of voter suppression, media misdirection, and have relentlessly vilified the very government that, by the words of our own Declaration of Independence, is meant to facilitate our pursuit of a free and happy life.
We can no longer sit back and pretend that simply winning in 2018, and then, God help us, in 2020 will be enough. We must begin thinking of ways that we can change, systemically, the very fabric of our democracy, so as to restore and rejuvenate our republic. The most likely scenario, unfortunately, is that Trump will remain president until 2020. It is very likely, though by no means certain, that the last half of this period will feature a Democratic House. This leaves 3 and a half more years for the stain of Trump to sully our great nation.
What happens once he is gone? Can we simply brush this under the rug and pretend like it never happened? Absolutely not. We must investigate, first, the degree to which foreign involvement laid the groundwork for his election. Further, we must pursue relentlessly any personal gains he, his family and associates made from exploiting their positions of power. Finally, we must unmask and reveal the ugliness that he brought to the highest level of our government: the loyalty oaths, the near certain pursuits of personal vendettas, the corrupt transactionalism that is his domestic and foreign policy.
These things must be exposed and, if possible, prosecuted, because if they are not, the next time we will not be so lucky. We can hope that we have dodged the worst: because of the ineptitude of Trump and his advisers, Trump will do far less damage than a potentially more ruthless and capable successor. Doing nothing will leave the door to this possibility wide open.
The Democrats must therefore campaign, both in 2018 and in 2020, on investigating and exposing the Trump Administration and its malfeasance and corruption. They must make it clear that the goal is to heal the nation, to restore her vaunted democratic principles, and to make the Trump incident an aberration, not a prelude. By sending the signal loud and clear that this is what awaits him, it may serve as a check on Trump. Pursuing such a course may sound risky, but is ultimately politically wise, and will likely garner the Democrats much support. But far more importantly, it actually has a chance of being restorative, and is ultimately the right thing to do.