On June 8th of this year, former president Donald Trump was indicted a second time for, in short, possession of classified documents outside of his tenure as president. He ignored requests to return said documents and impeded the investigation of his Mar-a-Lago home, where the documents were being kept. There is speculation about whether he wrote himself a pocket pardon during the last days of his presidency, though he fails to act like he has that safety net.
Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton had not been proven guilty of the crime, but nonetheless found herself at the center of controversy when she mishandled classified information through a series of emails. Of course, she lied and said she had none when, in truth, the FBI found 113 emails out of several thousand to contain classified information. This was attributed to carelessness, as part of the problem was that Clinton used her personal email address rather than her State Department email address.
Eventual former president Joe Biden, like Trump, had been found with classified documents in his possession. This time, said documents were found in the garage of his home in Wilmington, Delaware. Some sources say they were gathered during his term as senator (ending in 2009) rather than as president and were intended to be donated to a local university. Supposedly he complied with law enforcement and did not impede the investigation.
Former vice president Mike Pence had been found with twelve documents marked as classified in his Carmel, Indiana home. While there is some debate about whether Pence lied about the possession of documents of was unaware of them, he was compliant with the investigation and turned the documents over to the FBI. The boxes containing the documents were supposedly taped up and had not been opened until their discovery. Culpability may fall not on Pence but on the president’s aides. What happened to Pence now links him to Trump and Biden in this way.
Former president Richard Nixon was, undoubtedly, a co-conspirator in the Watergate scandal of the 1970’s. He stepped down from his then position as commander-in-chief when it was clear that he was central to the coverup. Tapes and the recordings thereon proved his involvement and obstruction of justice. But with a show of what could have been regret and humility, as well as an ally who pardoned him of wrongdoing, Nixon avoided the penal consequences of his actions.
I see more and more that manipulation, deception, and the ability to cut your losses and protect yourself are prerequisites of true leadership capability. Case in point, Robert Greene’s The 48 Laws of Power has become quite popular lately, not just as a leadership tool but also as an aid to spot the hallmarks of manipulation. And why those manipulation tactics are so essential to retaining the loyalty and good will of others.
Moreover, in the practice of law, deceptive clients are an inherent risk in the profession. Not everyone is innocent. No one is inherently good. Lying, premeditated crime, and comparative fault are all very real. If someone has to pay for a crime, better the client than you. It’s only practical. Taking the fall for what someone else does is unnecessary and foolish.
No one should be surprised when true justice is lacking. None of them- not Trump, not Biden, not Hillary- were ever worthy of even a shred of trust. It’s human nature of protect yourself and to do so by any means necessary, whether you lie, maximize the harm your enemies inflict while minimizing the harm you inflict on others, painting yourself to be the victim, complying with authorities in investigation, signaling to others that you meant no ill intent, or any other method of deception.
Why is Trump the only one who suffered consequences? Why did everyone else get away with doing something they weren’t supposed to do?
“Oh, but they apologized,” you might say. Anyone can apologize. No one has to mean it. Words are worthless when compared to one’s consistent actions. The reality is there’s no difference between still-living democrats who save face and a republican with too much pride and ego to admit wrongdoing. Presidents and vice presidents are still human and still flawed in a way none of us can risk overlooking.
My prediction is that the deflection, dishonesty, and justification will continue as it always has. If Trump is tried and found guilty, I have to consider the fact that Trump already had less than reputable conduct in the past and that the guilty verdict would act more as a message than as justice. I can’t know when exactly it would be used, but I imagine the message would try to affirm the faith United States citizens can have in their government and would pair well with some other unethical act the government would then get away with.
Goodbye, everyone. I’m off to become a hermit in the mountains. Don’t wait for my return. Don’t bother me, don’t try to help me. If this is what real leadership is like, then I would rather have no part of it.
Assume ignorance before malice, they say. Maybe wake up and consider that neither is acceptable in the eyes of true justice.
Written by Guest Blogger Lauren Rothbauer, paralegal in training.
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