Should the death penalty be considered if nuclear secrets were sold to an enemy nation?

[kentuck]

A couple of days ago, the former president was joking about how he might get "400 years" or "life in prison" for the alleged crimes he has committed.

It is not a laughing matter.

It would not be the first time our country has executed someone for giving nuclear secrets to our enemy. The Rosenbergs come to mind. They were sent to the electric chair.

The act of stealing national military secrets shows the former president to be a dishonorable and disgraced citizen of this country, who betrayed his oath. His lies cannot cover up the shame he has brought to this country.

If it is discovered that he sold national security secrets for his own personal enrichment, then execution should be on the table, in my opinion.

[Walleye]

1. Ha! America should count itself lucky if he gets even an ankle bracelet

[OLDMDDEM]

2. I agree with you.

[RockRaven]

3. What does the relevant statute say nowadays?

Because that is what he should face.

[scipan]

23. 18 USC Section 794

Just the punishment part, which I think he would qualify for:

shall be punished by death or by imprisonment for any term of years or for life, except that the sentence of death shall not be imposed unless the jury or, if there is no jury, the court, further finds that the offense resulted in the identification by a foreign power (as defined in section 101(a) of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978) of an individual acting as an agent of the United States and consequently in the death of that individual, or directly concerned nuclear weaponry, military spacecraft or satellites, early warning systems, or other means of defense or retaliation against large-scale attack; war plans; communications intelligence or cryptographic information; or any other major weapons system or major element of defense strategy.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/794

[ExWhoDoesntCare]

127. Smith's charges don't include this crime

Until someone indicts him for a violation of this crime, and convicts him for it, it's useless to speculate about the punishment he'd get for it.

I don't get people constantly wanting to put carts before horses.

[Beachnutt]

4. Maybe Kushner will flip on him,

I think he has sold national secrets and it will come to light soon.

[Demobrat]

31. This is what I think too.

This indictment covers the possession of the documents. Selling them is a whole different, more serious charge. I could see having a separate arrest and trial for that.

[MontanaMama]

78. I believe this is why we have heard

nothing from the Kushner's. Does anyone even know where they are?

[SouthernDem4ever]

88. Last I heard they were building a house in Fla near people that didn't want them there

I think it was Fla anyway.

[ShazzieB]

94. Yes, it was Florida.

I heard the same story, including the part about the unhappy neighbors!

[RKP5637]

5. And, look what happened to Julius Rosenberg and Ethel Rosenberg. Frankly, I think Trump has

done far worse ... and they were both executed. He's getting off easy IMO with just the threat of jail time.

[DENVERPOPS]

55. But the Rosenberg's was when

the Republicans were REALLY Republicans.....not the group of misfits that they are now composed of.........

I feel I have to remind everyone, that Trump would have been thrown out a week after he moved into the White House, if it hadn't have been for the entire Republican Senate, aiding him and abetting him daily for the last six years.

The Senate Republicans, among others, were complicit in every way in condoning Trump's actions, and even going overboard to promote all that he was doing.........................

My Russian friend tells me that the people back home (in Russia) are amazed at how easily and simply, Putin played Trump and the Republicans, to bring down the U.S. Economy, It's Democracy, and the U.S. Constitution without starting a war with the U.S. or firing a single rocket or missile at the U.S.

[MayReasonRule]

87. That's Right The Entirety Of The GOP Are Fascists

Guilty!

[RKP5637]

108. Absolutely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! n/t

[Goddessartist]

90. Exactly.

[RKP5637]

107. My father was a democratic politician for years and worked all the time with republicans way back.

There were never issues with them working together and they always tried to come up with some amicable solution. To me, there is really no longer a republican party. They are now, for the most part, solely the "MAGA Party" ... and to me they should just rename themselves.

[ExWhoDoesntCare]

129. Maybe he has--And I even believe it's entirely likely that he has

but until we have an indictment to that effect, it does no good to speculate.

[CincyDem]

6. It's a could, should, would question.

Could it be considered…yes. Espionage is on the list.

Should it be considered…I don’t think so. I’m not a big capital punishment fan to begin with and creating a state sponsored martyr will be both a short and long term issue for the country. Im not bending my principles on it just because it’s TFG.


Would it be considered…hell no. As others have said, we’ll be lucky to see him in an ankle bracelet (if he ever sees the inside of a courtroom).

[The Roux Comes First]

32. Good Synopsis. I Agree on All Counts.

[Nevilledog]

144. I am adamantly opposed to the death penalty, but for him I'd make an exception.

He has done so much harm.

[gohuskies]

7. The Orange spy violated the oath of office from the moment he took it

There has never been or will be another more corrupt and treasonous president in our lifetimes. God forbid he should ever set foot into the Oval Office again.

[edisdead]

11. Don't know if we can say there won't be

These republicans are a fucking corrupt bunch.

[radius777]

113. Agree, for J6 alone he deserves the firing squad,

having attempted the overthrow of the US gov't, the most serious crime IMO in American history.

I'm a firm believer in the death penalty for certain crimes, treason especially, as long as the defendant has been given a proper trial and the facts are clear.

[bucolic_frolic]

8. What would George Washington do, Original Constructionists?

[edisdead]

9. I don't believe in the death penalty, so No.

But he could serve a lifetime sentence.

[gratuitous]

12. I agree

In addition to a lengthy prison sentence, perhaps a money judgment against the defendant for the costs of cleaning up his mess (compromised foreign contacts, additional security for military bases, cost of assessing the damage his carelessness caused, etc.) could be had.

Then I think of how forlorn his children would be, and whoever his latest wife is, and how they'd have to fend for themselves when all of the defendant's assets have been claimed by the government. I mean, they'd be destitute! And I consider that and think . . . Fuck yeah!

[COL Mustard]

93. TFG will never spend one day in prison, as much as I'd personally like to see it.

The Secret Service is required by law to protect him for the rest of his life. The logistics of his potential imprisonment would make it impossible for them to carry out their mission. He would simply be unprotectable in a prison. House arrest, IMO, is a much more likely scenario. He could be confined at Mar a Lago (or Bedminster or someplace) with no access to the Internet, and severe restrictions on travel (none) and visitors. The Secret Service could continue to secure that property along with BOP to enforce the conditions of confinement. It would drive him mad in less than a year.

[Grammy23]

98. I've given this some thought, too,

Since it seems unlikely he’ll ever be sent to a prison, per se.

So he goes to one of his homes. Doesn’t much matter. No tv, except on very limited basis, no internet, no cushy bedding. Just the basic prison cot. Meals served prison style on utilitarian dishes with whatever is used in Lexington or Leavenworth. Prison menu, too. No Diet Coke. Whatever they serve at the Federal Lockups is good enough for him. No freedom to do what he wants. Maybe one hour a day to “exercise”. But NO golf. No visits face to face. Make it very generic and cold. No touching.

Make it as prison like as possible. He’ll go absolutely bonkers in no time. Maybe blow a gasket. And then the nationwide celebration can begin. Declare a month long party. Yep. That sounds about right.

[kentuck]

103. First of all, he would not follow any rules made for him...

...so there would have to be 24-hours per day supervision and someone would have to monitor him at all times. Of course, he would attempt to bribe them.

[jmowreader]

104. Not at one of his houses, please

Unless you're planning to strip out all the luxury, house arrest doesn't sound like much of a sentence to me.

This is what we do.

In Beaumont, Texas, there is a federal correctional complex. It has high, medium and low security prisons, plus a federal prison camp. There is a LOT of land out there that belongs to the feds but doesn't have a prison on it.

Why could we not buy a double-wide, erect it at FCC Beaumont, and put triple-strand chain link fencing around it?

[COL Mustard]

111. I think being confined to his house, with no freedom to travel

Or receive visitors, or spew his verbal diarrhea on unTruth Social would drive him nuts. And I don't think it would take all that long, either.

[Grammy23]

115. That's what I meant.

Make him have a very spartan lifestyle. No frills. He has 24/7 Secret Service anyway. So he just has guards in addition to his SS guys. Other prisoners who violate rules have consequences. Just make his stay even more meager. So what if he throws a hissy fit? I believe he does that on the regular. Just impose more restrictions like you would any other prisoner who acts out.

I realize this is probably just a pipe I dream. But hey….we need to have something to keep us cheered up. Imagining him in a prison jumpsuit, no make up and no way to style that mop he calls hair would bring a measure of happiness to this old woman. He’d lose his 💩💩💩 under those circumstances…….and there are a bunch of us who won’t object to enforcing the rules on Orange Mussolini if we get to see him implode.

P.S. can we install cameras wherever he’s locked up so we can see him melt down?? Like the wicked witch when she gets doused with water. I’m melting….I’m melting…..

[Prairie_Seagull]

132. I think the best way to control his "verbal diarrhea" while not running into 1A rights issues-

Is to physically control access to the means. By this I mean bars or the like. Top shelf life at a golf course sure sounds a different tier of justice to me. SS protection detail can be figured out. These are smart people. SS would not have to get the same treatment. Just post them outside his cell or trailer or what have you.

If 1A rights can be curtailed for many in prison for potential continued harm, seems to me this would be a perfect reason to take away or seriously curtail a unfiltered right and the toys associated.

IMO

[kentuck]

138. Repeal the life-long Secret Service protection?

They should consider that. Perhaps it was passed when Obama was President?

[Mysterian]

122. It would be quite a simple matter to build a special one-man federal prison

on Anthrax Island or Gitmo.

[GPV]

15. Same

[txwhitedove]

56. Agree, no death penalty. Also agree on life in prison with

heavy monetary penalties.

[ShazzieB]

100. Same here.

I am anti-death penalty, period. What was done to any criminals in the past is not relevant. Plenty of things were done in the past that should never happen again.

It's also a horrendously expensive and inefficient way to deal with any criminal. The amount of time and money it would take to sentence an ex-president to death, much less carry out such a sentence, would be off the charts.

I also agree with the point that it would make him a martyr. No thank you. Surely none of us wants that.

I don't care how many laws there may be on the books that could qualify him for the death penalty. Seeking that penalty for him would be way, way, way more trouble than most of us here can imagine and cause a ton of problems that I'm sure Jack Smith would rather avoid.

Of course, I think the death penalty is barbaric, so my opinion is far from an objective one. The sense of revenge and retribution some feel when a criminal is executed doesn't justify state-sanctioned murder.

[TheProle]

109. Good on you for being principled

Anyone who rejects the death penalty except in the case of insert name of someone you hate here,you need some self-examination.

[Ohio Joe]

10. I oppose the death penalty

Besides... I kind of like the idea of him living out the remainder of his miserable life alone in a supermax.

[Runningdawg]

13. I don't believe in the death penalty. I hope he lives an unusually long life in solitary confinement

[DENVERPOPS]

57. Two recent deaths of inmates

at Colorado's "SUPER MAX" have opened up two cells that I know of...................

I agree that being sentenced to life at Super Max, is far worse than being executed.
McVeigh (Oklahoma City Bomber) was sentenced there and after six months begged to be executed..........

[electric_blue68]

66. Oh, didn't know that's how McVeigh responded. Good. Bastard!

[DENVERPOPS]

75. There are many

chicken shit, MF, murdering cowards out there among the Right Wing Republicans...........

Just look at J6, if someone hadn't ordered the Capitol Police, DC Police and Guard to somewhat STAND DOWN, and they had adequately prepared, the outcome would have been far different................when their group started seeing their comrades dropping like flies, they would have turned tail and run...................

Do you suppose the hangman's gallows the insurrectionists brought with them was saved for the Smithsonian? I've always wondered where it went.....

[electric_blue68]

82. There Are Murderous RW'rs whether by guns (a relatively small amount), or by policy in overturning..

Roe v Wade, turning a blind eye to violence prone racist police, cutting the safety net even more...etc

And we already have an educated guess as to how an African-American crowd heading the same way would have fared.


Interesting thought on that gallows.
Well, it was awful but historical and that's part of their mission.

[MadameButterfly]

72. yeah, let's not put him out of his misery too fast

but I do worry about someone letting him out as politics evolve. He must be shamed and ruined beyond repair.

[Runningdawg]

142. He's got 5 years left, if that. It's the cult he's leaving behind, the cult that has been growing

since the end of the civil war, the cult seated deep into evangelical religion, who we need to fear. Yes, I said fear. Far too many are still not taking them seriously.

[AmBlue]

14. The law should be followed

...without fear or favor. I actually think Presidents should be held to an even higher standard by virtue of the power and immense responsibility entrusted to them by the people of this country. Betrayal of that trust is a crime of the highest order, and the punishment should fit the crime.

If not, and the Office of President becomes a "get out of jail free card," then the line of criminals jockeying for the position will be very, very long and our nation will be the pariah of the world.

[triron]

105. Spot on!

[Yonnie3]

16. I'd sooner see him live out his life.

In a penitentiary incommunicado. No internet or telephone and his only communication is via hand written letter on a single sheet per month. There would be nothing to feed his ego.

I'm feeling mean today.

[cynical_idealist]

30. He could have read only internet

but no more input into the public discourse

It's not mean, but exactly what he deserves.

[DENVERPOPS]

60. COLORADO SUPER MAX HAS CELLS WAITING...... NC

[Omnipresent]

17. I like tfg's idea of a public firing squad for just that purpose.

Tfg can be the first recipient too!

[Ilsa]

18. Robert Hanssen got Life, but only after

he gave a full confession, every last bit of information that he sold to betray the US and place our overseas assets in peril, and probably Americans undercover. Without this complete allocution, he'd have been executed.

[DENVERPOPS]

63. Didn't he just die this last week?

opening up a cell at Colorado's infamous SuperMax prison?????? Same with the Unibomber who also died this past week opening up another cell at SuperMax.
Trump one cell and there are so many to choose from for the other cell.....My top choices would be McConnell or Jared. Any other suggestions?????????? The possibilities are endless.........

[Ilsa]

99. Yeah, after decades...

I'd like it to be someone who'd make TFG feel small. really small.

[NowISeetheLight]

19. Absolutely

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed for spying for the Soviet Union and handing over weapons and nuclear secrets. In this case if it comes out they were selling nuclear secrets I'd support a public hanging in the town square.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_and_Ethel_Rosenberg

[sarisataka]

20. 1- No,

The death penalty should be removed from all state and federal crimes.

2- no one in the current administration is going to ask for any former President to be put to death

3- #2 explains the reasoning behind #1. Death penalty cases depend more on who you are than what you did

[JHB]

21. Definitely should be an option

Although I'm going to make a not-very-hard guess that all the "I want my country back" mopes will not want THAT part of it back when it's their guy stealing nuclear secrets.

[Emile]

22. This would be very serious and most deservedly a harsh

penalty would be warranted. The penalty should be so severe that no other future republican president would ever try to do it again.

[TreasonousBastard]

24. I've brought up the Rosenbergs in the past, but aside from ...

what they may have done, they were also victims of our own anti-Soviet hysteria at the time.

And the Rosenbergs did not have the responsibilities of the President.

I am against the death penalty for anyone, but for the great criminals of the planet I would happily take every bit of their wealth and power and see them live long lives in service to those they oppressed.

[grantcart]

85. Yes there was hysteria but that was fueled by the fact that there were people stealing

Nuclear secrets.

Even their sons conceded Julius was guilty.

The charge against Ethel was a bluff to force a confession from Julius. He called the bluff and his wife was executed needlessly.

[EYESORE 9001]

25. It was deemed appropriate punishment for Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

Sauce for the goose & all that.

[LuckyCharms]

26. I'd be a hypocrite if I said yes, because I don't believe in the death penalty, but

let me put it this way...

I wouldn't be upset in the least if he received the death penalty.

I'd reconcile it in my mind by making an exception to my beliefs...just for him.

[Silent Type]

27. If there is proof he sold nuclear secrets, he'll deserve it. Although 400 years is OK.

[Stinky The Clown]

28. I oppose the death penalty in ALL cases and for any and all crimes at all levels. PERIOD!

[Elessar Zappa]

33. Same here.

I wouldn’t necessarily be sad if he was executed but I don’t support it.

[groundloop]

51. Same. I oppose the death penalty, even for HIM.

Now granted, it wouldn't hurt my feelings if 45* happened to die of natural causes in the very near future, but I oppose the death penalty under all circumstances.

[DENVERPOPS]

65. I am against the death penalty

but it serves it's purpose.......It gives the prosecution a chance for a plea bargain to the lower punishment of life imprisonment.
If the person accepts the plea deal, they have to agree that they are in fact guilty, and will not pursue any appeals, which will save the government tens of millions of dollars............Paying for Life in prison is far cheaper, in the long run, than the cost of a great number of appeals of the death sentence.....

[markpkessinger]

77. Thank you -- I agree!

That we still have the death penalty at all is a national disgrace. It is absolutely unnecessary. There are plenty of ways society can protect itself short of killing someone. Much as I despise Trump, I'm not going to change my position just to accommodate my hatred.

[ShazzieB]

102. I could not agree more.

[OMGWTF]

29. I'm a peacenik, but hanging is too good for Traitor Tot.

[gibraltar72]

34. For years have said though against death penalty

I would volunteer for his firing squad.

[Postal Grunt]

35. Better than a Death Penalty

If you're against the death penalty, how about something that would be worse for the former president? Take away his money. That might be difficult but if it can be done, then sitting inside his jail cell, knowing that his money has been forfeited would be an all day, every day gnawing pain that would be difficult, if not impossible, thing for him to overcome.

[Duppers]

42. Perfect 👍

[IzzaNuDay]

61. Taking away his money is a temporary solution

His followers will make sure he has everything he needs if his money were taken away.

[republianmushroom]

36. Yes

28 months and counting

[Bettie]

37. Even for him

the death penalty isn't right.

I'd also just like to see him in prison, unable to access social media, alone with himself.

[pandr32]

38. I think the only way the the orange traitor will ever stay quiet

...is to be dead.
The potential he has to incite violence and cause harm will remain as long as he breathes. A prison cell will not shut him up and as to making him a martyr--his base would dwindle without his words stoking their feelings of righteous anger.

[Duppers]

45. Forbid journalists visits in the prison.

And limit his family visits.
+ No camera, no pics, no interviews.

[pandr32]

110. Yes, and also limit his contact to other prisoners.

He will attempt to manipulate whoever he sees.

[LiberalFighter]

39. I'm okay with it after he spends a little time in prison.

[Celerity]

40. No, the death penalty is a barbarous relic

[ancianita]

41. Because the law sees the charges differently, a death penalty can't be considered.

Whether either nuclear secrets or military secrets were discovered is one thing. Proof that he sold national secrets is another.
It might be hard to prove he sold them, though the CIA and banking systems might know.

"Stealing national military secrets" and "selling nuclear secrets" -- both get fines and imprisonment.

It's enough to just prove the national security harm done by Trump, since "having" the docs is easily proven.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

43. The death penalty is wrong.

Period.

I wonder what part of the Commandment that says No Kill is ambiguous. Or that there are exceptions.

[Jean Genie]

44. just-justice

I don't believe in the death penalty. But neither do I believe in the adoration of criminals who steal national security documents , believing it is their right to own them. Who then stop by Cuban restaurants for an adoration session, and offer to buy food for the masses - then fuck off without spending one thin dime.
Maybe "do unto others..." would be the best punishment to suit the crime. How about giving him a dose of his own medicine? Maybe little pink latex gloves, a toilet brush, and some Mr. Clean, and ordering him to scrub all the toilets in Mar A Lardo? Just a thought.
Oh, and perhaps the New York Times could skip their "We adore Donald" party, and start, once more, being a source of fair and balanced news reporting. Or is that hoping for too much?

[Bird Lady]

46. Absolutely!

But the problem is, this country does not have the resolve or huevos required to make the case.
The death penalty should be automatic in cases where anyone sells secrets.

To paraphrase HenryII. "Will no one rid us of this traitor?"

[Mr.Bill]

47. He should be drawn and quartered.

Look that up if you don't know exactly what it means.

[Mme. Defarge]

48. If you're asking Moi,

there was a way of dealing with that back in the day…

[boyedav1969]

49. My view of the perfect outcome...

...would be for him to live a long life and live out those days in a prison that's appropriate for the level of offense he committed. Prison food, jumpsuit, combination sink/toilet, and very little privacy. Maybe a job doing laundry where he makes pennies an hour. Hopefully his empire crumbles, and he is helpless to do anything but watch from behind bars. It would be gratifying for him to die knowing that his criminal legacy is what the history books will remember.

If secrets were sold/traded to foreign actors, I really hope there's a smoking gun somewhere.

Obviously, I have tempered expectations when it comes to what will actually happen.

[roamer65]

50. Yes.

I think a jury should be able to consider it, if the case warrants it.

[Upthevibe]

52. It's a good point but I'm not

pro-death penalty under any circumstances....

But, as I stated, you bring up a valid point...

[3825-87867]

53. !

You’re asking me to decide whether his crimes of selling or giving info that could (have gotten or WILL get ) me or the guys who risked their very lives for me or me for them - my guys or others killed and you’re against the death penalty because of your beliefs and want him incarcerated for life? You go and personally look them in the eyes of any that are killed and tell the wives, children or parents of those when his greed gets their husbands, fathers, sons or daughters killed that they died simply because he is or was a greedy bastard and didn’t give one care about any of us or them.

Ok. How about this. You and those who feel this way, how about you shell out your cash to house, clothe, feed. maybe even allow him cable, unbanned books, freedom to continue to live and denigrate and complain about everything we stood or fought for and allow him to stay in touch with HIS friends and family for the next possible 20 plus years! I certainly don't want my money going to pay to keep him alive.

My guys’ lives and their families meant and mean more to me than that POS could ever pay for.

I didn’t put my life on the line for my buddies and their families or this country so some fucking traitor could get one or more of us killed so he or HIS family can get rich. Fuck that! I know my answer.

[kentuck]

83. A strong argument.

I will admit.

[KentuckyWoman]

54. No chance

He could do the worst crimes anyone will ever imagine and won't ever be jailed. It is a bafflement.

[Mr. Ected]

58. Yes, but the moderating interests in American (Democratic) politics would never allow it

We keep saying that justice needs to be meted out equally regardless of means or resume, but we'd need more of a national consensus for our leaders to even consider it. With so many people misled by a meddling media, that's just not going to happen during his lifetime.

[KS Toronado]

59. Always been against the death penalty but

if it can be proven that he gave Putin the list of our foreign agents and informants in Russia who disappeared
without a trace simply for brownie points with Putin, then yes he deserves it for having other people killed.
Basically a murder charge.

[Duppers]

112. THIS ⬆⬆.

Yes, it's treason if info was passed that resulted death of agents or great harm to our country.

[ECL213]

62. You only have to hang mean bastards,

but mean bastards you need to hang.

- 'The Hangman' John Ruth

[yonder]

64. Execution is the easy way out...ESPECIALLY for him.

What left of his miserable life, humiliated behind bars, is appropriate.

[electric_blue68]

67. I don't support the death penalty but certain crimes try my principles!

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

68. No, I am not in favor of the death penalty. For anything.

TFG will never see prison. But, a life sentence of house arrest at one of his residences would work for me. No golf, no internet, no phone.

[Greybnk48]

69. Whatever punishment would be applied to you or me

should be applied to any other person as well.

[kentuck]

70. Think of the psychological benefit.

He laughs at the idea of "400 years" in jail.

I personally, do not support the death penalty, but what he has done to this country, in its entirety, is as bad or worse than any serial killer, in my opinion.

If he thought he might be executed, there could be a paradigm shift in his continued attacks upon our democracy, with his arrogance and scofflaw attitudes toward justice. It might be beneficial also, for his supporters to think about it.

[FlyingPiggy]

71. If that is what we do to traitors, them all I ask is that the 🍊 blob gets treated the same

As anyone else. I am over this bullshit that he should get treated differently bc he is a former president. No. Presidents present and past are NOT above the law.

[kentuck]

74. Anyone that should dare to be the President of the United States...

..should be held to a higher standard. He has betrayed us all.

[FlyingPiggy]

79. Agreed!! Maybe a harsher sentence for him considering the magnitude of his actions

[LaMouffette]

73. I'm against the death penalty, BUT I'm 100% sure that the next Repube president will pardon his

Last edited Fri Jun 16, 2023, 02:26 PM - Edit history (1)

traitorous, treasonous, POS ass.

It seems like the death penalty would be the only way to prevent this from happening. So in Benedict Donald's case, I would be very tempted to make an exception and consider his selling our secret documents and almost certainly getting people killed as a result an act of mass murder (not to mention the hundreds of thousands he killed in his purposefully bungled response to the Covid pandemic).

But no. I personally can't go there. Plus, "hangin's too good for him." So this is what I think should happen:

1. Remove the presidential power to pardon before Trump is convicted. Or revise it so that we the people would be allowed to vote on whether someone should be granted a pardon. And majority rules, no electoral college bullshit on this one. And I know that this will be next to impossible to achieve since Repubes will oppose it.

2. Lock Trump up in a super max prison for the rest of his life. No possibility of parole. No private cell. No communication with the outside world.

[3825-87867]

84. But if there's no one to pardon...

!

[IronLionZion]

76. He always wanted law and order, punishing criminals, police brutality, tough sentences

so it would be the right thing to do for his own values.

[Richard D]

80. Execution would be fitting . . .

. . . but knowing he is rotting in prison for the rest of his life has a higher schadenfreude rating.

[TygrBright]

81. It certainly was for the Rosenbergs. But I oppose it on principle. n/t

[Oopsie Daisy]

86. No. But solitary confinement might be a good alternative.

[SouthernDem4ever]

89. Without a cell phone in solitary he would die faster than being on dearth row

[Oopsie Daisy]

95. I believe you're right about that. LOL! 🤣

[SouthernDem4ever]

96. Welcome to DU

[Oopsie Daisy]

97. Thanks!

[MOMFUDSKI]

91. Firing Squad.

He is just one amongst many traitors.

[Demsrule86]

92. No, I am against the death penalty in all cases.

[BlueIdaho]

101. 20 year prison sentence

For a 77 year old traitor - that should just about do it. No reason to go overboard.

[bluestarone]

106. Thinking about the best way to handle TFG, is to

REMOVE him from ALL social media. NO internet PERIOD! 20 years in Federal MAXIMUM security prison, with guards chosen by Hillary Clinton. NO contact with ANY RETHUGS, or any RIGHT WING groups of any kind!

[brooklynite]

114. Show me evidence and I'll discuss it.

DOJ has not indicted on that charge. No reason to assume otherwise.

[kentuck]

116. Otherwise...?

Don't even discuss the possibility of it happening?

If it does happen, we will put it in Latest Breaking News. No need to read anything else until then? No reason to "assume". Right?

[brooklynite]

118. You can discuss whatever you want.

If you’re asking the audience’s opinion, I’ll provide one. In this case,my opinion is “Trump is selling US secrets” is nothing more than another unfounded conspiracy theory unless you have some evidence.

[kentuck]

131. That is your opinion.

There is no evidence of Trump selling US secrets. There are a lot of conspiracy theories out there. But if they do not go thru the court system, they do not follow the rules of justice. All it is, is talk, talk, talk. One conspiracy theory is worth no more than the other.

Martin Luther King, Jr., reminded us that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

Sometimes I wonder what direction our Democratic Party is headed?

[Takket]

117. man that's a tough question.........

as much as i hate drumpf, the idea of putting a former president to death is... it is heavy........ i don't think society would take that well.

then again, regardless of how i personally feel about the death penalty, that statute says what the statute says and if they are going to sentence Joe Sixpack to death for the same crimes, drumpf doesn't deserve any special treatment. but they would have to have ROCK SOLID proof of some REALLY dangerous shit being sold. Like, I'm not talking "he sold the Saudi the locations of our nuke launchers on the East coast". I'm talking "he legit sold them the instructions how to build a nuke and deliver it long range to our shores." And there can't be ANY QUESTION that he did that. They need the who/what/where/why/when of EVERY aspect of the sale. Basically i want to see a video of him handing the documents over for a pile of cash from MBS. Then it should be considered.

[mvd]

119. Personally I don't make exceptions

I am against the DP. He shouldn’t be treated any differently than others, however.

[Rhiannon12866]

120. §2385. Advocating overthrow of Government

Whoever knowingly or willfully advocates, abets, advises, or teaches the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying the government of the United States or the government of any State, Territory, District or Possession thereof, or the government of any political subdivision therein, by force or violence, or by the assassination of any officer of any such government; or

Whoever, with intent to cause the overthrow or destruction of any such government, prints, publishes, edits, issues, circulates, sells, distributes, or publicly displays any written or printed matter advocating, advising, or teaching the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying any government in the United States by force or violence, or attempts to do so; or

Whoever organizes or helps or attempts to organize any society, group, or assembly of persons who teach, advocate, or encourage the overthrow or destruction of any such government by force or violence; or becomes or is a member of, or affiliates with, any such society, group, or assembly of persons, knowing the purposes thereof—

Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction.

If two or more persons conspire to commit any offense named in this section, each shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction.

As used in this section, the terms "organizes" and "organize", with respect to any society, group, or assembly of persons, include the recruiting of new members, the forming of new units, and the regrouping or expansion of existing clubs, classes, and other units of such society, group, or assembly of persons.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 808; July 24, 1956, ch. 678, §2, 70 Stat. 623; Pub. L. 87–486, June 19, 1962, 76 Stat. 103; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, §330016(1)(N), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2148.)

[Wednesdays]

121. I'm pretty much against the death penalty

Now, if you're talking tRump, I would relish him sitting in prison rotting for the rest of his natural life, rather than giving him an early exit and to be remembered forever by his followers as a martyr.

[live love laugh]

123. The penalty for victims of a national security breach is death so why not?

[The Grand Illuminist]

124. In this point in history

We need to think about who is too dangerous to be kept alive. Mafias are infamous in running their businesses from behind bars without a single detection. Trump and his voters are no different.

[kentuck]

133. Those are very provocative words.

"...who is too dangerous to be kept alive" ?

Who would take the first step toward violence? I agree, that sometimes, it feels like war has been declared? But, in a moral universe, which course is best for everyone? Who should want to resort to violence?

Maybe some believe more in the ballot than the bullet?

We have to get out the vote!

[The Grand Illuminist]

141. Not about provocation.

We now live in a nation in which desperation is rising at an alarming rate in which the only option left is the last resort. This is not by choice, stressly speaking, but the patience of many are very close to being out after 3 stolen presidential elections in the last (as of this) 23 years and hostile takeovers of state governments by the right. I agree with you to take it to the ballot box, but when will it come to the realization that this may not be enough judging the circumstances of right wing controlled states? I hope I am wrong big time.

[moonshinegnomie]

125. no

im anti death penalty. however life in the supermax......

[FlyingPiggy]

126. What did other traitors get? That's exactly what orange guy should get too.

No difference just bc he is a past president.

[H2O Man]

128. No.

[kentuck]

135. How are you, H2O Man?

[Kid Berwyn]

130. The documents contain information enemies could use to destroy the USA.

Spycraft…

Trump’s Russian Laundromat

How to use Trump Tower and other luxury high-rises to clean dirty money, run an international crime syndicate, and propel a failed real estate developer into the White House.

By CRAIG UNGER
The New Republic, July , 2017

Excerpt...

Trump made his first trip to Russia in 1987, only a few years before the collapse of the Soviet Union. Invited by Soviet Ambassador Yuri Dubinin, Trump was flown to Moscow and Leningrad—all expenses paid—to talk business with high-ups in the Soviet command. In The Art of the Deal, Trump recounted the lunch meeting with Dubinin that led to the trip. “One thing led to another,” he wrote, “and now I’m talking about building a large luxury hotel, across the street from the Kremlin, in partnership with the Soviet government.”

Over the years, Trump and his sons would try and fail five times to build a new Trump Tower in Moscow. But for Trump, what mattered most were the lucrative connections he had begun to make with the Kremlin—and with the wealthy Russians who would buy so many of his properties in the years to come. “Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross section of a lot of our assets,” Donald Trump Jr. boasted at a real estate conference in 2008. “We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia.”

The money, illicit and otherwise, began to rain in earnest after the Soviet Union fell in 1991. President Boris Yeltsin’s shift to a market economy was so abrupt that cash-rich gangsters and corrupt government officials were able to privatize and loot state-held assets in oil, coal, minerals, and banking. Yeltsin himself, in fact, would later describe Russia as “the biggest mafia state in the world.” After Vladimir Putin succeeded Yeltsin as president, Russian intelligence effectively joined forces with the country’s mobsters and oligarchs, allowing them to operate freely as long as they strengthen Putin’s power and serve his personal financial interests. According to James Henry, a former chief economist at McKinsey & Company who consulted on the Panama Papers, some $1.3 trillion in illicit capital has poured out of Russia since the 1990s.

At the top of the sprawling criminal enterprise was Semion Mogilevich. Beginning in the early 1980s, according to the FBI, the short, squat Ukrainian was the key money-laundering contact for the Solntsevskaya Bratva, or Brotherhood, one of the richest criminal syndicates in the world. Before long, he was running a multibillion-dollar worldwide racket of his own. Mogilevich wasn’t feared because he was the most violent gangster, but because he was reputedly the smartest. The FBI has credited the “brainy don,” who holds a degree in economics from Lviv University, with a staggering range of crimes. He ran drug trafficking and prostitution rings on an international scale; in one characteristic deal, he bought a bankrupt airline to ship heroin from Southeast Asia into Europe. He used a jewelry business in Moscow and Budapest as a front for art that Russian gangsters stole from museums, churches, and synagogues all over Europe. He has also been accused of selling some $20 million in stolen weapons, including ground-to-air missiles and armored troop carriers, to Iran. “He uses this wealth and power to not only further his criminal enterprises,” the FBI says, “but to influence governments and their economies.”

In Russia, Mogilevich’s influence reportedly reaches all the way to the top. In 2005, Alexander Litvinenko, a Russian intelligence agent who defected to London, recorded an interview with investigators detailing his inside knowledge of the Kremlin’s ties to organized crime. “Mogilevich,” he said in broken English, “have good relationship with Putin since 1994 or 1993.” A year later Litvinenko was dead, apparently poisoned by agents of the Kremlin.

Continues...

https://newrepublic.com/article/143586/trumps-russian-laundromat-trump-tower-luxury-high-rises-dirty-money-international-crime-syndicate

[Yavin4]

134. And make him a martyr to his cult?

We'd be giving birth to a new religion.

[kentuck]

136. He may be a martyr already?

In the eyes of many in the cult.

It is so easy to confuse with disinformation. They lose the ability to reason, if they ever had it?

They are open to deception.

The power of information.

[GoodRaisin]

137. If he gave nuclear secrets away, yes.

Blindfolded and shot.

But it won’t happen even if he did. This country isn’t going to execute an American president.

[kentuck]

139. Of course not.

But what would be a reasonable sentence for such a crime, if found guilty?

Of course, he is innocent until proven guilty. If one is not above the law, then one cannot be above a jury trial of his peers. If that is prevented from happening, then there is a problem.

[GoodRaisin]

140. Prison is all that remains that is remotely reasonable,

20+ years for any traitor of that magnitude. If “no one is above the law” is more than just a nice slogan then he has to be accountable for his crime like anyone else. Otherwise we just have double standards of punishment and presidents are kings.

[lees1975]

143. No, the death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment.

No matter what he did, life in prison without parole would be staying consistent with the values we have as Americans.

If he's guilty of this, he should be expected to spend the rest of his life behind bars. Are we still using Guantanamo?

But my conviction that execution is cruel and unusual punishment prevents me from suggesting that we execute Trump.

[The Grand Illuminist]

145. Everyone has a line that no one will cross...

but yet will if the circumstances and situations are too desperate. Human nature.

[Emile]

146. Hell yes!