Since January 6, it’s been clear that the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol and staged an insurrection were operating at the urging of former President Donald Trump, and it now appears that he can be charged in a way that would keep him from ever serving in public office again.
Harvard Law Professor Laurence Tribe was a guest on MSNBC, and he was asked by host Alex Witt:
“So, Laurence, the DOJ has actually named Trump, they’ve cited his false claims about the election, this in a legal argument to try to keep an accused capitol rioter under monitoring. Does that connection create any legal jeopardy for him?”
Tribe responded:
“Well, it’s at least an indication that they’re beginning to connect the dots.
“That is, if it is the case as the Department of Justice has asserted in saying that somebody ought to be constantly monitored and not trusted to be completely at liberty, if they’re saying that part of what is fomenting violence even now is the claim by Trump and some of his followers that the election was stolen, and if that is fomenting violence now, then the claim that it was all stolen and that the mob should use force to prevent the transition of power to Joe Biden by interrupting the counting of the electoral votes on January 6th, all of that seems to be part and parcel of a violation of a very important federal criminal law that goes back to the civil rights, civil war era. That is, 18 U.S.C § 2383.”
That just so happens to be the section of federal law that covers rebellion or insurrection against the government. It reads:
“Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.”
According to Prof. Tribe:
“That law, I think, may well apply to Donald Trump.”
If it does, not only would Trump go to prison, he would also be ineligible for any public office for the rest of his miserable life.
Here’s Professor Tribe on MSNBC:
