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Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
Comment
Ron Grossman

Commentary: Confederate President Jefferson Davis’ fate is a cautionary tale for our nation’s Trump quandary

With barricades surrounding the Manhattan criminal courthouse and plainclothes officers ordered to dress in their full uniforms, it’s only human to ponder the wisdom of trying Donald Trump for a nonviolent offense related to buying a porn star’s silence.

Richard Nixon’s story suggests it is better for the nation to forgive and forget. But that of Jefferson Davis, the Confederacy’s president, says it is dangerous to let losers tell the tale.

One thing is for sure: Trump has put us on notice he won’t go quietly. He told his followers to protest if he is indicted. They surely didn’t hear that as a request for letters to the editor. More likely, his rallying cry evoked images of the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol.

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