WTeverlovin'F?? "..Resign, and avoid a criminal trial."

[AndJusticeForSome]

I'm gobsmocked to have just heard Neal Katyal say, on Chris Hayes' show tonight:

"And I think that the card he has left to play is: resign and avoid a criminal trial."

How the actual fuck does resigning avoid a criminal trial?

Oh HELL no!!

Please, someone, tell me he misspoke. Please tell me he meant something like, avoid an impeachment hearing or trial in the Senate. Anything but what he said!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. If he resigns and pleads guilty he avoids a criminal trial.

[AndJusticeForSome]

4. That had better be what he meant, thank you

If this mofoer skates, it will be some very cold comfort indeed if resignation was his only penalty.

[BlueTsunami2018]

2. As it did for Nixon I suppose.

Resign, get pardoned. No criminal trial.

[GusBob]

3. There is some talk he cuts a deal

Resign no crme

[Bradshaw3]

5. I think a deal is how it all ends

I don't know if it's right or wrong (obviously it's wrong from a justice point of view) but just to get this fuck out of our national lives before he destroys the country and/or the world sure sounds enticing.

[Girard442]

6. I think we should turn Donnie's own worldview on him.

Promise him and his family total amnesty in return for his resignation, and after he does resign, renege. "Hey, y'know, your resignation was pretty substandard work. We don't gotta pay the agreed on tab. Here. Here's the new deal. Sue us if ya don't like it."

[AndJusticeForSome]

8. If only nt

[LiberalFighter]

7. Hell no! Neal Katyal is an idiot.

[AndJusticeForSome]

9. I wouldn't say that. He must've misspoke. nt

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

13. Um, no.

He's a Yale Law grad, was an editor of the Yale Law Journal, clerked for Justice Breyer, served as Acting Solicitor General and Principal Deputy Solicitor General in the Obama DoJ, and is now a professor at Georgetown law school. He has argued more Supreme Court cases than just about any lawyer in the DoJ. American Lawyer Magazine considered him one of the top 50 litigators nationally. Washingtonian Magazine named him one of the 30 best living Supreme Court advocates; and Legal Times profiled him as one of the "90 Greatest Lawyers over the Last 30 Years."

An idiot? I don't think so. He probably knows more about the law than everybody on DU put together. I would take what he says very seriously.

[Renew Deal]

10. Spitzer did it

"Go quietly or we prosecute"

[pnwmom]

11. Some might feel that allowing him to cop to a plea, and to be pardoned,

will keep his followers from starting a civil war.

[ProudLib72]

12. I certainly don't feel that way at all

He and his family stole money from me. His accomplices in the GOP stole money from me. I want them all to pay dearly. I could not give a rat's ass about idiot deplorables talking about starting a civil war. That's just silly. That threat doesn't hold water.

[Progressive Jones]

15. Starting a civil war would be deadly for those losers. Literally. nt

[wishstar]

14. As Nixon did, Trump can resign and get pardoned by Pence

Nixon never had to face the sealed indictments that had been prepared for him because of his resignation and being pardoned

Although that would end Trump's pardon power, Pence can also pardon Don Jr, Kushner or anyone else in Trump orbit that might be in legal trouble and call it all a partisan witch hunt.

[Kentonio]

16. There has to come a day

When people actually stop and ask why this is ok under the current system. Why does a president just get immunity from criminality in exchange for stepping aside? Why does that role give such ridiculous power to circumnavigate the law when other civilized countries have no such thing in place?