Leaders | Secrets and fries

The real injustice would have been not to indict Donald Trump

The former president must be subject to due process

Donald Trump
Image: AP

THE ARRaIGNMENT of Donald Trump at a court in Miami on June 13th marks a first in American history. The current president’s administration believes that the previous president endangered national security, by wilfully mishandling classified documents. Even more extraordinary, the defendant is the front-runner in the Republican primary. Thus the 2024 election could turn into a campaign for Mr Trump to stay out of prison.

Such a fight would suit Mr Trump. Before the indictment was even unsealed, his campaign seized on it as a fundraising opportunity. His people lashed out against Joe Biden, Mike Pence and Hillary Clinton. All hung on to classified documents or were reprimanded for carelessness with official secrets. But only Mr Trump has been indicted—proof, they say, that he is the victim of a witch-hunt.

This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline "Secrets and fries"

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