MSNBC anchor Ari Melber said Thursday on his show “The Beat” that reports that former President Donald Trump will be indicted meant “the seal is broken” presidents can be criminally charged.
Anchor Nicolle Wallace said, “Yeah, but I mean if you and I did all three of these things right, if you and I silenced a porn star to benefit our presidential campaign, if you and I incited a deadly insurrection, and if you and I took classified documents to Mar-a-Lago and said they’re mine because I thought them declassified, we would be criminally exposed in all three jurisdictions, state and federal. It’s only in conversations about Donald Trump that people are like, ‘Well, let’s go with the best one.’ And frankly, that analysis has shifted to until classified documents are found at Pence’s home and Biden’s library. People thought Mar-a-Lago was the strongest prosecution. So, you know, I’m not a lawyer. You are. But people should follow the facts and treat everybody the same. If you prosecute me, you should prosecute an ex-president.”
Melber said, “Right. I think where we go now is we’re in a dividing line. March 30th here is the first day of the rest of Donald Trump’s life. In a sense, it may be the first day in the rest of this political era we have been living through because the seal is broken. It shows he can be charged. He is legally presumed innocent and entitled to all of the rights that you are supposed to get, even rights that he, quite publicly as president, tried to deny others because it is the rule of law. And we are trying to have, upholding civilized court process even for people who wouldn’t give it to others.”
He added, “Having said that, I think tomorrow and the days ahead are going to be very difficult for him. And other prosecutors don’t even have to weigh what, you know, lawyers call it prudential, that just means not legal, the other considerations. No other prosecutor now will ever have to weigh again the quote, ‘prudential question of the first indictment of a former president,’ because that’s done.”
Wallace said, “That’s been answered. The novelty is gone, which is just amazing in and of itself.”
Melber said, “Yeah. So it’s a novel night here in America.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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