Indicting President Trump: what could possibly go wrong?

Harvard Law School professor Jack Goldsmith, a noted critic of former President Donald Trump, answered that question in a guest essay, published today in the New York Times. He warned NYT readers [Sid and Doris Bonkers, of Camden NJ. Ed.] that while they might enjoy the idea of Trump being indicted and possibly imprisoned, the other half of the country did not see it that way, and would seek revenge. 

Walt won't pay to read the Times, so these excerpts (but not the cartoons*) are taken from the Breitbart News report.

This deeply unfortunate timing [of the indictments] looks political and has potent political implications even if it is not driven by partisan motivations. And it is the Biden administration’s responsibility, as its Justice Department reportedly delayed the investigation of Mr. Trump for a year and then rushed to indict him well into G.O.P. primary season. The unseemliness of the prosecution will most likely grow if the Biden campaign or its proxies use it as a weapon against Mr. Trump if he is nominated.

… And then there is the perceived unfairness in the department’s treatment of Mr. Biden’s son Hunter, in which the department has once again violated the cardinal principle of avoiding any appearance of untoward behavior in a politically sensitive investigation. Credible whistle-blowers have alleged wrongdoingand bias in the investigation, though the Trump-appointed prosecutor denies it. And the department’s plea arrangement with Hunter Biden came apart, in ways that fanned suspicions of a sweetheart deal, in response to a few simple questions by a federal judge.

… The prosecution may well have terrible consequences beyond the department for our politics and the rule of law. It will probably inspire ever more aggressive tit-for-tat investigations of presidential actions in office by future Congresses and by administrations of the opposing party, to the detriment of sound government. 

BN passes on an Axios.com report, also published today, that the "shock value" of successive indictments — he has faced three thus far, and could soon face a fourth — has dropped, even as the once-and-future President has solidified his position at the top of the Republican presidential primary polls.

* The cartoons are by Gary Varvel, a Christian, conservative, cartoonist and speaker. Mr Varvel's Views From The Right newsletter includes his cartoons, links to conservative commentary and his essays on current events from Biblical worldview.