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A step-by-step guide to heading off the next coup attempt

Washington Post Opinion – Jennifer Rubin: “The threat of a repeat of the Jan. 6 attempt to overthrow the election — perhaps one that is more competent than the last — requires us to think about what reforms are needed to protect our democracy. Here’s a start. Let’s first consider disincentives to keep conmen from running for president or other federal office in the first place. Had former president Donald Trump been required to release 10 years of tax returns, he may not have run in 2016. Likewise, if presidents were required to liquidate ongoing businesses to avoid conflicts of interest with a true blind trust administered by neutral parties, Trump might have preferred to stay at Mar-a-Lago. Ethics rules such as prohibiting individual stock ownership, and barring the participation in hearings or votes in which one has an economic interest, are required. Unfortunately, disreputable people with no real interest in public service seek office at an alarming rate. It’s impossible to stop all of them or rely on conscientious voters to reject them. But it is possible to lessen the opportunity for graft for them and their family members (who should be barred from holding White House positions, paid or unpaid, and Cabinet posts)…”

See also The Slow-Moving Coup | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) – free via YouTube.

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