Former Obama lawyer Ian Bassin: The coming indictment of Donald Trump will break his power

[Valin]

Salon

Former associate White House counsel says Garland, DOJ are going "by the book" and have a "rock solid" case
Chauncey DeVega Senior Writer
November 28, 2022

For the last seven years or so, the American people have been on an emotional and political rollercoaster. The ride has been terrifying. They elected Joe Biden president in 2020 in an effort to escape the thuggery, violence and pathological lies of the Trump era, but Donald Trump and the Republican fascist movement made that impossible. America's democracy crisis as epitomized by Trump's coup attempt and the Capitol attack of Jan. 6, 2021, has not ended.

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In an effort to assess America's ongoing democracy crisis and the country's emotional life more broadly, I recently spoke with Ian Bassin, co-founder and executive director of Protect Democracy, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization working to stop American democracy from declining into authoritarianism.

Bassin previously served as associate White House counsel in the Obama administration. His essays and other writing have been featured by the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic and other leading publications.

In this conversation, Bassin explains how he is managing his hopes and anxieties in this turbulent and challenging time for America. The crisis of democracy that Donald Trump represents, he cautions, is part of a much larger global phenomenon that will not end anytime soon. The midterm elections, he agrees, offered a strong sign of hope for American democracy — but Trump, the Republican fascists and their larger movement represent a base of many millions of voters, and they're not going away.

Toward the end of this conversation, Bassin explains his belief that Donald Trump will be successfully prosecuted for his crimes by the Department of Justice and other law enforcement agencies. While other experts have warned that Trump supporters will engage in widespread violence to prevent their Great Leader from being held accountable for his crimes, Bassin believes that will not occur.

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