American democracy in jeopardy: Trump on trial
Former President Donald Trump is facing a series of ongoing legal troubles, in this podcast we focus on some of Trump’s criminal indictments. These include allegations that he violated Georgia's Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act, or RICO, conspired to defraud the US, mishandled classified documents and falsified business records. He has pleaded not guilty or otherwise denied the charges in all cases.
Trump is still aiming to be a Presidential candidate in 2024, raising the question of whether he is attempting to evade the rule of law by running for office while under investigation and facing criminal charges.
This podcast discusses these issues and assesses the impact of Trump's legal troubles on his support base, ultimately asking what this means for American democracy.
Bill Roberts considers the issues with:
- John T Shaw is the Director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute and discusses how failing to punish the January 6 attack on the US Capitol could set a dangerous precedent
- Gene Rossi is a shareholder at Carlton Fields in Washington, DC. He was a former federal prosecutor and represented defendants, targets, and witnesses in high-profile criminal and civil matters. Here, he discusses the RICO Act case against Trump and its significance in the Jan 6 Capitol case
- Paul Pelletier, an Attorney and Consultant who worked in the Department of Justice as white collar trial attorney on fraud cases for more than 25 years
- Chris Edelson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Government at the American University in Washington
- Rachel Paine Caufield is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at Drake University in Iowa
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