Donald Trump joins Bill Clinton in learning that ex-presidents are not above the law
Democrats refused to support a former president who faced legal sanction, Republicans should follow their example
After Donald Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records while trying to improperly influence the 2016 election, his supporters have claimed he’s been unfairly singled out and that prosecuting ex-presidents destabilizes American politics. This argument is false because former Democratic president Bill Clinton was actually the first former president to face legal sanctions, and nothing happened to the country as a result.
Although Republicans today want to pretend that Trump is the only former president in history to face legal punishment, Clinton faced significant consequences for his conduct during a civil lawsuit filed by Paula Jones, a former Arkansas state employee who claimed that he sexually harassed her while he was governor of the state.
For those who may not know or don’t remember, in 1994 while Clinton was president, Jones sued him, claiming that in 1991, he had propositioned her and exposed himself in a hotel room. The lawsuit, heavily funded by far-right Republican donors, aimed to damage Clinton's administration. During the lawsuit, Clinton was compelled to testify under oath, and he denied having a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky, a young woman who had worked as a White House intern.
This denial was later proven false by independent counsel Kenneth Starr's investigation, and Clinton himself admitted in testimony to Starr that he had lied under oath about his relationship with Lewinsky. Clinton’s admission that he had given false testimony led to his impeachment in the U.S. House in December of 1998 and eventual acquittal in the Senate. But the consequences for his crime did not end there.
In April 1999, federal district judge Susan Webber Wright found Clinton in contempt of court for his lies and fined him $90,000. Instead of whining about being persecuted the way that Trump does on a constant basis, Clinton accepted his punishment and paid the fine rather than appeal the judgment.
The consequences continued on Clinton’s last day in office in January of 2001, when agreed to a five-year suspension of his Arkansas law license to avoid criminal perjury charges. This agreement also included a $25,000 fine. In addition, Clinton resigned from the U.S. Supreme Court bar rather than face a disbarment process. He also agreed to a $850,000 settlement payment to Jones. These consequences were significant for Clinton, and they did not destabilize American politics. Rather than embrace a party leader who had been convicted of crimes, Clinton’s fellow Democrats declined to defend him.
While Clinton and Trump have been the only American presidents who have been sanctioned for criminal conduct, the United States is far from the only major country to hold former chief executives liable for crimes. In France, former president Nicolas Sarkozy was convicted in 2021 for illegally exceeding campaign spending limits and for attempting to bribe a judge. Sarkozy's former prime minister, François Fillon, was also convicted of embezzlement. In Italy, former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi faced numerous trials, including a conviction for sex with a minor. In Hong Kong, former Chief Executive Donald Tsang was convicted for failing to disclose a conflict of interest. South Korea has convicted former presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye for corruption. Israel's former prime minister Ehud Olmert served prison time for corruption, and current prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing multiple prosecutions.
Many industrialized countries have held their former leaders accountable, and they have done so because prosecuting executive criminality is essential to upholding the rule of law. None of these convictions proved politically destabilizing, because the parties of the convicted leaders understood that they had no obligation to support criminals.
Unlike Trump, Bill Clinton eventually confessed in the face of overwhelming evidence. Rather than admit the obvious and receive a lighter sentence, Trump has consistently denied wrongdoing while trying desperately to evade accountability. Republicans today should follow Democrats’ honorable example by refusing to support Trump, a man who has committed far more serious violations, including being the only president in U.S. history to refuse to submit to a fair election which he lost.
Trump’s first criminal conviction is a milestone for American democracy, the beginning of accountability for a man who has committed numerous felonies in his business and political careers.
Far from unfairly singling him out, the American judicial system has given Trump special treatment throughout his life. From his shady real estate dealings to his corrupt presidency and post-presidency, Trump has operated with a sense of impunity, a behavior pattern that was greatly exacerbated by the Department of Justice's longstanding policy of not indicting a sitting president. However, with his term over, Trump is finally beginning to face the consequences of his actions.
It is unfortunate when a country must prosecute a former chief executive, but such actions are crucial for protecting the rule of law and demonstrating that no one is above it. Independent investigations and judicial oversight ensure that the cases against Trump have given him a fair chance to defend himself. New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s successful prosecution of Donald Trump is a testament to the strength of American democracy and its commitment to holding all individuals, regardless of their status or power, accountable for their actions.
The American judicial system's commitment to neutral justice principles, which Republicans once claimed to support in the case of Bill Clinton, is now being applied to Donald Trump. This consistency reinforces the integrity of the democratic system and ensures that justice prevails, demonstrating that no one, not even a former president, is above anyone else.
To honor the country and the rule of law, Trump should resign as a candidate and focus on clearing his name. If he cannot do so, he should accept his punishments and confess to his crimes, following the positive example set by Clinton.