BLOOMBERG
US politics—and the government itself—are now officially about little else than the potential rematch between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump (though Nikki Haley may have something to say about that).
As ever, most of the attention is focused on Trump. An uncommonly unified Supreme Court signaled it’s prepared to reject efforts to bar him from the ballot over his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.
The court may soon be asked to weigh in on another highly consequential issue: whether the Republican can be prosecuted for trying to subvert the 2020 election.
The US Court of Appeals ruled decisively that the twice-impeached Trump—the subject of four felony indictments that could land him in prison—is not immune from prosecution, saying it would be an “unprecedented assault on the structure of our government.” Polls show Trump would lose substantial support if he’s convicted.
“The law is the law, the court said, and every American is subject to it,” Timothy O’Brien wrote in Bloomberg Opinion. Congressional Republicans meanwhile—having helped reach a bipartisan deal on border security and Ukraine funding that satisfied most of their demands—backed out after Trump told them to.
Democrats accused the GOP of killing the deal so they can continue to use the issue against Biden, but Biden pledged he would wield the failed legislation as a political cudgel. At the same time, the lack of funding for a beleaguered Ukraine may encourage Vladimir Putin to redouble his war effort.
Biden had his own troubles this week, amid White House concerns about wavering Black voters and fury from Arab-Americans over the carnage in Gaza and Biden’s support for Israel.
At the same time, a report by a Trump appointee picked by US Attorney General Merrick Garland to review Biden’s handling of classified information closed the book on the probe—but parted with some scathing allegations about Biden’s memory.
The 81-year-old Biden, who like the 77-year-old Trump faces age-related voter worries, fired back in anger while Vice President Kamala Harris called the report by Robert Hur “politically motivated.”
Hur, however, made a point of distinguishing Biden’s case from the prosecution of Trump for his handling of classified files. Hur noted in his report that Trump refused to return secret files and allegedly obstructed the investigation.
Both sides are casting the November election as one with stark consequences for America’s future, not unlike a similar vote in 1860. Court rulings notwithstanding, the fight between Biden and Trump will likely end at the ballot box. “Elections belong to the people,” said Abraham…
