George W Bush’s impunity led to Trump’s lawlessness
The reluctance of later administrations to repudiate Bush-era torture and endless detention laid the groundwork for recent violence
TL;DR
- The Bush administration's response to 9/11 included torture and indefinite detention, which were not prosecuted by later administrations.
- Barack Obama declined to prosecute senior Bush officials for torture, prioritizing other policy goals.
- This legacy of impunity has enabled Donald Trump to engage in similar lawless actions, such as the potential summary killing of drug suspects.
- The author argues that the "war on terror" rhetoric was used to circumvent legal requirements for prosecution and detention.
- The article calls for future administrations to address Trump's abuses and for state and international prosecutors to investigate now.