From the first moments after the news of former President Donald Trump’s indictment, a new talking point emerged from thin air: The country had crossed a line into dangerous new territory.

According to this argument, prosecuting a former president, while perhaps legitimate on the facts and law, is perilous, because it opens the gateway to future bogus prosecutions of former leaders and risks criminal investigations becoming a form of politics by other means.

I have to say, I vigorously disagree with this talking point that suddenly seems everywhere. It seems to me the line we have already been crossing for some time, the line that truly matters, is that between the rule of law and the law of impunity. Young people in this country have in their lifetime never really seen powerful people face justice for even the worst crimes against the common good.

This interview with Ruth Ben-Ghiat is worth re-reading today.

But tell me what you think: Am I wrong? Is it dangerous to prosecute a former president, even if he’s guilty? Or is it exactly what should happen?

Photo: Ira L. Black/Corbis/Getty

This post was originally published on The.Ink.