Barack Obama is finally ready to jail rich people for their crimes
Barack Obama gave a highly-anticipated speech at the Democratic National Convention Wednesday. In it he attacked Donald Trump for attempting to rig the election, committing tons of crimes, and using his power to line his own pockets. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris understand, he said, that "no one — including the president — is above the law, and that no public official — including the president — should use their office to enrich themselves or their supporters."
This bears a marked contrast with Obama's record as president. His administration refused to seriously prosecute thousands and thousands of financial criminals. People who did everything from money laundering for drug cartels to mortgage document fraud on an industrial scale got off with wrist-slap fines. Attorney General Eric Holder said that he was reluctant to file charges because it might create financial instability.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
All this was a great example of the elite impunity Obama excoriated in his speech. Hopefully Joe Biden will not follow the previous Democratic trend of fiercely condemning Republican criminality only to quickly look the other way after actually taking office.
