Shocking Trial of Trump & Johnson: Uncovering the Truth Behind Their Alleged Violation of Rule of Law!

Both Britain and America flatter themselves that their political systems are admired around the world. The UK is home to the ‘mother of parliaments’. The United States is the “leader of the free world”. The two countries consider themselves mature democracies; models that other nations can emulate.

But recent years have shaken that Anglo-American complacency. Britain has suffered the agonies of Brexit and has gone through four prime ministers in as many years. The United States saw Congress stormed on January 6, 2021 in what was essentially a coup attempt by an outgoing president.

The problems of democracy have deep roots in both countries. But they are also closely associated with two individuals: Donald Trump and Boris Johnson.

Trump and Johnson have advocated a similar political style. Both have built cults of personality, convincing their most devoted followers that they are men of destiny. Both are nostalgic nationalists, who have vowed to restore their country’s greatness. Both claim to be representatives of the people against a selfish elite.

Because they are considered unique, indispensable figures, Johnson and Trump have felt free to break the laws and conventions that normally bind political leaders. When challenged or held to account, both claimed to be victims of a deep state conspiracy.

This is a style of politics that is well known around the world. The charismatic strongman leader — paranoid, power-hungry, irresponsible, and surrounded by sycophants — is a sadly familiar figure. Just look at the rambling speeches of the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who claims he sees conspiracies against him everywhere.

For Erdoğan, the law is a weapon to be used against his political opponents rather than something he himself must obey. The same goes for Vladimir Putin in Russia. In Turkey as in Russia, the president’s political opponents often end up in prison, while the leaders themselves are never called to account, despite the allegations of corruption and abuse of power that surround them.

It is these questions of the rule of law and accountability that are at the heart of the latest episodes of the trump and Johnson’s soap operas.

The former US president has just been indicted for mishandling confidential documents. The former British prime minister has just resigned from the House of Commons after a committee accused him of lie to parliament on breaking the law during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Trump and Johnson’s reactions to their current travails are strikingly similar. They followed the same paranoid and selfish narrative, claiming that they are victims of a political conspiracy and that the system is rigged against them and their followers.

Such statements strike at the heart of the United States and Britain’s image of themselves as mature democracies in which the rule of law is not a farce but a reality. The bleak suggestion is that governance in Washington and London is little different from that in Moscow or Ankara.

Both Trump and Johnson are fabulists for whom truth is simply what is politically or personally convenient at the time. That style of politics is becoming more common and threatening. We live in an age of social media where “alternative facts” (in the words of a former Trump aide) can always be made up, if the real facts prove inconvenient.

Any functioning democracy governed by law must be based on the idea that there is such a thing as truth and that it can be established in a court or by a parliamentary committee. Fundamentally, this is very different from saying that Trump or Johnson must be found guilty. They have every right to protest their innocence. If either of them could prove it before a court or parliamentary committee, it would be as much a sign of democracy in action as a guilty verdict.

Courts, political parties and voters all have a role to play in ensuring that the rule of law and democracy work properly. In this case, the outlook looks more promising in the UK than in the US.

The parliamentary committee that ruled against Johnson contains a majority of members of his own party. Conversely, very few Republicans in Congress have turned against Trump, whatever their private misgivings. He was the judge who will rule on Trump’s latest charge in Florida appointed by the former president. She too must be seen acting impartially.

If the courts obviously do their job fairly and professionally, their verdicts are more likely to command the respect of voters. Even the majority of voters, like the courts, must be able to resist conspiracy theories and “alternative” facts. That seems far from certain in the United States, where Trump remains the favorite for the Republican nomination and is neck-and-neck with President Joe Biden in election polls.

The cases of Trump and Johnson will count far beyond the shores of the United States and the United Kingdom. If handled correctly, they will send a vital message to people fighting against autocracies around the world. America and Britain must demonstrate that it is indeed possible to have a system in which political leaders are held to account and in which the rule of law is a reality and not a myth.

gideon.rachman@ft.com