Trump Indictment

Initiated by:
• Francisco

Details

Here are the videos and discussion questions for this hangout: Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-ZyzN3Eo_0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxms31ijoKA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTRp9ssNlcU https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/trump-pleads-not-guilty-on-federal-charges-of-mishandling-classified-documents https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/brooks-and-marcus-on-the-trump-indictment-and-the-political-fallout-to-come https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/violent-rhetoric-escalates-online-after-latest-trump-indictment https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-trumps-classified-material-case-is-different-from-clintons-and-bidens https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/former-federal-prosecutor-analyzes-case-against-trump Additional Reading (Optional): https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/14/us/politics/next-steps-trump-documents-case.html https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/09/opinion/trump-indictment-documents.html https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/30/us/politics/trump-indictment-democracy.html https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/06/13/is-donald-trump-the-victim-of-a-witch-hunt Questions: 1. What is the significance of Donald Trump's indictment? 2. How might the Trump indictment affect political dynamics? 3. Should former presidents be held accountable by the justice system for any crimes they commit? 4. If yes, what is the threshold? Should they be charged with crimes that ordinary citizens can be charged with, like reckless driving or tax fraud? Or should the crimes have to be more serious? If so, what would constitute serious crimes? 5. Out of respect for the office and its stature, should former presidents be treated differently than the average person? Or, should they be treated like any other citizen, since no individual is above the law? Why? 6. To what extent do you think we should take into account that Mr. Trump is not just a former president but is also currently the leading opposition candidate — and may secure the Republican nomination for president in 2024? 7. “Some of the most advanced democracies have not shied away from putting their leaders on trial for crimes.” said Mr. Baker (chief White House correspondent for the New York Times). What do you think about this statement? 8. What is so special about American democracy? 9. What are major challenges facing American democracy? 10. Any additional questions related to the topic? Please remember to watch at least a few videos before you arrive since we’ll be discussing them when we begin. Once the hangout begins, everyone will introduce each other and then take turns asking the provided questions in order to keep the discussion on topic.