It sends this terrible message:

 

No one is above the law.

 

Like Mike Pence, I am distressed that anyone rich and powerful could ever be called to account. It's just not natural. What has become of the rule of the law....of the jungle?

 

Actually, the terrible message has already been sent to the world long time ago. It is that a President can try to overturn the outcome of fair elections, incite assault of Congress, ask officials to "find him votes", and lie about it for years, and still be covered up by his political party.

 

It is totally ununderstandable in other Western democracies. Had something similar happened in countries such as UK, France or Germany, just to name a few, he would have been banned from his party and disqualified from participating in elections. And would probably be already indicted, if not convicted.

Letting it be known that Presidents and former Presidents can get away with blatant criminal acts sends a much worse message.

5 hours ago, heybruce said:

Letting it be known that Presidents and former Presidents can get away with blatant criminal acts sends a much worse message.

Absolutely correct. But the worst is that this opinion is one of the (possible) next presidents. They just cannot get it right. With more than 330 Mio. citizens they simply cannot pick a single one that is at least acceptable per average.

Nixon was about to be indicted ~ June 5-ish 1974, and dodged that bullet by resigning.

 

https://www.archives.gov/files/research/investigations/watergate/roadmap/docid-70106088.pdf

 

And of course Nixon's VP Spiro Agnew was Indicted for tax evasion.