World leaders who faced criminal charges

Trump isn’t the only president who has been arrested for breaking the law! Several leaders in countries including Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Canada have all faced criminal investigations as well, and some have even been sent to prison! Let us learn more about these prime ministers, under the clearest of blue skies.
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[@goodsocksproductions9397]

"We shouldn't prosecute our opponents because we want our candidates to be able to break the law too" has always been a rather absurd line of thinking for me. I think a lot of people would be very happy if there was a slew of indictments that targeted both sides of the aisle

[@moorejp55]

True, I've never understood this reasoning at all. Why would I give a single damn about a politician being investigated or charged with crimes?

[@10thletter40]

Maybe, I think the problem that would arise is the hyper targeting of individuals opposite before elections to influence them. Such as making up a dossier before a presidential election, pretending it is real, and then everyone ignoring it's falsehood after.

[@nachocheese2823]

I think the worry is that bad actors might abuse the power and just use it to attack their opponents.

[@goodsocksproductions9397]

@@nachocheese2823 "some people might do bad things so we shouldn't do anything." Just don't do the bad things. That's like saying we can't have prisons because some cops are racist. We can still have the prisons and just not be racist

[@chickenfishhybrid44]

But there won't be, that's the thing.

[@MachivelianBear]

In Denmark🇩🇰 the second longest serving PM Poul Schlüter talks vividly in his memoirs in how he would circumvent the political donations law. Basicly in Denmark if a donation is over 20000kr it has to show a name of the donor. Luckily there was a prominent party member that owned a restaurant. So rich donors and companies would eat 1 dinner at this restaurant for crazy sums. Then the restaurant would donate the money to the PM’s party. So for almost the entirety of the 80’s all big donations to the Danish Conservative People’s Party where from that 1 restaurant😂 At the time it was legal, so all the parties did some version of this. Even the communists!

[@JJMcCullough]

amazing

[@tcm81]

Denmark is the least corrupt nation in the world, ranked on the transparency international index.

[@AttarProductions]

Brilliant.

[@BowChickaWow]

What was the restaurant like?

[@MachivelianBear]

@@BowChickaWow classic Danish Inn known as a "Kro". So traditional Danish food like stægt flæsk, smørrebrød, flæskesteg. Also alot of scnaps is common those places.

[@worldlinezero4783]

I really don't understand why people say that it'll open the bridge for prosecuting other politicians in the future like it's a bad thing. WE SHOULD PROSECUTE PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES FOR COMMITTING CRIMES! Imagine that!

[@jasonbailey9139]

The problem is, if it is politicized, it would totally focus on the side that is not in power at the time, then the next campaign cycle would be full of "see how corrupt side X is---vote side y!" We need to do a better job of vetting the politicians before they are elected...because in most cases the crimes were done as they were laying the ground work to get into office.

[@NACHOXXX4]

Nancy pelosi’s insider trading for example

[@entertainmint3030]

The problem with that is it's the government. it's all corruption you. prosecute all the corruption and the whole thing falls apart.

[@julianguastadisegno]

​@@jasonbailey9139 that what's happening in Argentina, our vice president is currently being persecuted. Our last president also has an active prosecution, and accusations fly left and right. Every government wants to reform the judicial sistem every X amount of time so yeah, it can happen.

[@ZeteticPhilosopher]

@@NACHOXXX4 Not illegal, despite being unethical. Insider trading laws do not apply to Congress or other legislatures.

[@JoeBergy122]

Former Taiwan President Chen Shui-Bian (2000-2008) is currently in prison on embezzlement charges. But, he's occasionally let out here and there on vague "medical leave."

[@conserva-chan2735]

Based and "Minimum Security Prison" pilled

[@itsohaya4096]

@@conserva-chan2735 I wish more ppl had that right

[@conserva-chan2735]

@It's Ohaya! plenty do, it's just the management of the legal Grey areas surrounding parole that make it really tricky, especially in the U.S.

[@user-saraswatidevi]

Same happened with park geun hye but then moon jae let her out

[@JamieElli]

The Italy thing is probably evidence that appeals shouldn't run down the statute of limitations. I feel like once the first verdict is delivered the clock should stop ticking.

[@JJMcCullough]

Yes, Italian law is weird like that.

[@icheca5553]

An entire video on the PeruvIan presidents could be made since EVERY SINGLE ONE since the 80s have faced charges and most are even in jail

[@nadie516]

Since the 70's if you include morales bermudez

[@RestingJudge]

"Politicizing the Justice System" what about equal justice under the law. No one should be immune from the crimes they commit.

[@Dante1920]

Only when we conduct an investigation on the whole government and weed out and prosecute all of the politicians that have commited crime, only then will i believe that politics had no part in this arrest. P.s: dont get me wrong, Trump probably did this stuff and deserves it, but im sure hes _far_ from the only one.

[@tomhalla426]

Of course, one must actually have a crime before one “enforces the law”. Bragg has no right to enforce Federal law, and that assumes Cohen’s current claim is true, not his earlier versions.

[@ericfisher1360]

Ted Kennedy Called.

[@thebristolbruiser]

If only Alvin Bragg felt that way.

[@10thletter40]

That requires crimes to be committed in the first place.

[@lucasrezende984]

How is Lula not on the video? One of the most emblematic cases of a persecuted former president. His case is also very interesting, as his sentence was annulled and he was once again elected president of Brazil in last year's elections (after spending a year in jail).

[@terciopelo]

I'm pretty sure you could make a whole one hour video about all the presidents from Latin American countries who have been prosecuted. In Peru, my country, I believe we've had up to six ex presidents who have been prosecuted or gone to prison for crimes committed during their presidency.

[@thomasprat7760]

Hi! Sorry to bother you with this, but I was thinking just a few minutes ago about how we suddenly don’t hear anything at all from Peru. For a few months, in Canada, we’d get regular updates on the situation with the protests. What’s going on? Is it still going on? Who are the criminals here? Depending on the source, it’s either Castillo and the protesters, or the opposition, including his former ally Boluarte.

[@nadie516]

​@@thomasprat7760 it's complicated, not on who is guilty but in why that happened. Castillo was always unpopular (because of ideology, politics and racism), but the core of his support were the andean and peassant population, which percieved him as some sort of reinvindicator of their status as citizens. In that period castillo did abuse of his influence and did tried to commit a coup out of desperation in the end of his mandate. But while that happened, congress just dedicate its time in trying to prove castillo's corruption with no results, showing to the public an open obstructionist attitud (mixed with a low perception of doing anything in matter of lawd and representation). When castillo's coup failed, congress celebrated and acted as if the coup was made by them, enraging the andean people that started protesting and revolting against the new president boluarte, while hundreds of people in jail forcing false charges of terrorism (peruvian right wing's favorite word), evident false proves against them and over 70 people killed in different parts of the country (even some in massacres by the state forces. Goverment tried to blame those killings as false flag attacks and blaming bolivia over the revolts even though bolivia was dirrctly affected by them and having its own revolting problems. In this moment, protests have been lowering in intensity, but the rejection on boluarte is still big, and now with new problems caused by natural disasters and diplomatic tandrums, zones that used to be loyal to her are now turning their backs.

[@diegoyanesholtz212]

In Latin America. Current Brazilian president went to Jail, Lula.

[@LOBricksAndSecrets]

"But if we set this precedent, then the other side's leaders will start getting prosecuted too!" *Scoots in close* "Your terms are acceptable."

[@JosephHutzulak]

Scoots in closer: That's not the real argument, the argument is that these charges in particular are flimsy, and will open the door to any DA in a deep partisan jurisdiction will do the exact same, ie Biden will now face a bunch of charges out of rural Texas and Florida once he leaves office. Scoots in even closer: What you and the author really don't get is your being played, the Democrats are doing this on purpose, they know the charges are bad but it has caused Trumps numbers to shoot up in the GOP primary, and just like in 2016 they want Trump to run because they think they have the better shot of beating him, then say DeSantis.

[@catman6089]

Can't believe this is a controversial opinion, but if a politician commits a crime, they should be put on trial for that crime, plain and simple

[@chinchillas]

No

[@newwaveinfantry8362]

But Trump hasn't committed any crimes and in the US it's unconstitutional under the fourth amendment to have your house raided without a good reason.

[@Ribulose15diphosphat]

No, being wanted for crimes opens a gate for extortion. Leaders should therefor have immunity. "Weaknes Corrupts" - Nietzsche

[@SeruraRenge11]

@@Ribulose15diphosphat Couldn't you just as easily argue that everyone should be locked up? That eventually so many people will be prosecuted are either the people who aren't corrupt, or the ones so good at hiding it that you can't find concrete anything on them.

[@Pariahala]

Berlusconi doing community service in a home for the elderly must have been such a weird experience for the people living there. Think about what it would be like to have the former prime minister feeding you and thinking "damn, the dementia is starting".

[@Retrovin_Youtube]

Another example in the US was a former Speaker Of The House Dennis Hastert, he was charged in 2015 for giving hush money to former wrestling students who he molested when he was a wrestling coach, due to the statute of limitations he only served one year of prison time before being released

[@michaele1654]

To me, the elephant in the room with prosecuting former and current leaders of economically advanced democracies is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. Bibi has been on trial for corruption since before the pandemic. Multiple elections have been held since the trial began. He won some and he lost some. Currently, Bibi is attempting to push through judicial reforms which would essentially allow a simple majority of the Knesset to vote and overturn any high court ruling, which presumably he would use to overturn any attempted prosecution. For the last few months, more than 10% of the Israeli population has peacefully protested against the judicial reform-- there are even general strikes. Israelis are fighting to protect their democracy from Bibi.

[@conorkelly947]

if only that zeal for democracy was applied equally

[@NeelLLumi-AnCatDubh]

And don’t forget, PM Ehud Olmert did in fact go to prison, and President Moshe Katzav did as well (but for sexual crimes).

[@yaitz3313]

The judicial reform is over far more then Bibi's trial. The right has been pushing for judicial reform since 2005, when they felt betrayed by what they saw as the court's failure to protect their rights during the Disengagement. This is just the logical conclusion, when the extremes take over due to political deadlock and force their extreme vision forward. More moderate right-wing figures, like Ayelet Shaked, have successfully pushed forward more moderate judicial reforms, but the RZP-Otzma-and-radical-Likudniks bloc pushed too far. It has little to do with Bibi; other then taking powers away from the AG, it doesn't help him. Also, the way the trial's gone, it seems pretty clear he'll be acquitted.

[@SamAronow]

And now he's being blamed (rightfully) for escalating the security situation in an attempt to distract from the protests (not the first time), while also giving the Jewish Supremacist ex-terrorist Ministry of Internal Security license to create a militia of religious youth gangs to combat the protesters and potentially fight against the actual military.

[@WVWVW1]

@@yaitz3313 How stable is Israel currently? No military coups happening anytime soon?

[@HeadCannon19]

13:02 JJ: "France is special in that it has seen 2 former presidents face trial!" Me: Only 2? I expected more from you, France

[@robertwilloughby8050]

And Alain Poher (look him up, he's very interesting!) had a LOT of parking fines to his name, to the point the French authorities parceled up all of the fines and threatened Poher with legal action. Poher (who is universally loved in France - he joked once that the French public would trust him with everything except power!) paid up with alacrity.

[@SethBennion]

It's because they didn't want to waste time, they just wanted to be quick and efficient. The guillotine companies also wanted to have cheap advertising...

[@monapon8169]

Only two presidents, but we also have a bunch of former prime ministers who faced trial. And even in the current government, several ministers are being investigated.

[@LuziFearon]

Imagine you're a taxpayer in france and your president doesn't have affairs with models and strolls the street of paris with his motorroller. Like, whats the point?

[@yoavboaz1078]

Ehud Olmert, former prime minister of Israel served 16 months in prison for bribery (among other things) in 2016

[@jordak]

Also, current PM Bibi Netanyahu has been facing corruption charges for years. I'm surprised it didn't get a mention in the video.

[@jjunture]

The sigh before having to say the phrase “bunga bunga parties” was priceless.

[@lovecraftianwalrus4490]

I’m right leaning, but I’m sorry, Trump is such a cartoon character. The way he looks, the way he talks, the way he acts. He is literally a Parody of himself. He genuinely seems like he could be a character from a show like the Simpsons or South Park. Sometimes I find myself questioning reality because I find it so difficult to believe someone like Trump could become such a prominent figure. He is just so ridiculously hilarious to me.

[@thatman8490]

I think that's what a lot of his supporters like about him tbh. In an era of every politician being the same carbon-copy airbrushed product in the same suit, it's hard to deny Trump is a breath of fresh air. Now, whether you enjoy the smell of said air is another matter altogether.

[@jfangm]

@@thatman8490 As a libertarian who voted for Trump both times, I can honestly say that is why he won. He was NOT an establishment politician and certainly had no particular party loyalties - his "Republican" platform is what Dems were running on in the 80s and 90s. He was the closest to an everyman America has gotten since Teddy Roosevelt.

[@jakeryker546]

Odd, considering he'd be a leftist if you go back 20 years 😅

[@samp.8099]

You know it's going to be a good video when Berlusconi shows up in the thumbnail

[@MachivelianBear]

It’s BUNGA BUNGA TIME!

[@UltravioletNomad]

'We can't prosecute the most powerful people in our society, they make too many enemies with their powerful decisions' is the most backwards logic. It's basically saying 'we know they are a criminal, but somebody on the other side could benefit politically so it's not fair to actually try them for any of their crimes'

[@adesuwa9112]

This was a very detailed and straight to the point video on criminal charges involving past presidents/ PMs! Nice work on the animations and sound effects as well- that’s one of my fave things about JJ’s vids lol I also had no idea Italy has such an emboldened and brash former PM like Berlusconi! 😮

[@bxdanny]

That bit about the statute of limitations in Italy seemed weird. It sounds like, with that system, anyone could avoid prison by dragging out appeals. I'm pretty sure that In most countries, if the original trial (or even just the indictment) was within the statute of limitations, it doesn't matter if it runs out before all appeals are final.

[@333arianna]

@@bxdanny i’m italian and trust me, justice takes its time. my father never had to pay a speeding ticket in the last five years because they keep arriving in the mail past the legal deadline.

[@ayup1233]

You should definitely make a Part 2 and it has to include Jacob Zuma and State Capture plus the 783 charges he once had filed against him

[@Barc112]

Yes. The imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma lead to widespread riots and looting in July 2021, which was "the worst violence in South Africa since the end of apartheid". en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_South_African_unrest

[@LucasBenderChannel]

7:04 Seeing Helmut Kohl in front of the Bavarian white-and-blue diamon pattern is so ridiculous. 😂😂😂 Like a viking in Tokyo. Or a polar bear in the desert. As if I was looking into a parallel universe. Great video with an even greater thumbnail, J.J.! A real eye-catcher. 👏

[@MrAlsachti]

Haha! It caught my eye too. But, to be fair, it is not that out of place. It's more like Bill Clinton in front of the flag of California. And Helmut Kohl was born in Bavaria, so technically it is not really incorrect.

[@LucasBenderChannel]

​@@MrAlsachti No he wasn't. Kohl was born in Ludwigshafen in the Rhineland, right? 👀

[@ToyTiger666]

Ludwigshafen ist in der Pfalz, was damals zu Bayern gehörte. Erst nach dem Krieg entstand das Bundesland Rheinland-Pfalz, das es zuvor nie gab. Die Oberpfalz gehört immer noch zu Bayern.

[@WVWVW1]

I think JJ confused it for the flag of the Palatinate. Which Bavaria had at one point.

[@sig_pagot]

Since the election of Donald Trump, italians quickly noticed the similarities between the two leaders. we sometimes like to ironically say how proud we are that Americans are following our steps for once, referring to the similarities between Trump and Berlusconi, instead of the other way around.

[@nuke___8876]

Pak Guen-hye was president of South Korea, Korea's first female president, and daughter of the last dictator of South Korea. In 2018 she was found guilty of 16 crimes mostly related to bribery and corruption and was sentenced to 30 years and a $110 million fine. It was later reduced to 20 years. She was pardoned by the opposition's president (her elected successor) Moon Jae-in in December 2021. This move is widely believed to have cost the Democratic Party of Korea the presidency as Pak was still incredibly unpopular and the party lost the presidency by less than 1 point. Pak's legacy is really interesting as she was the "first lady" of the Blue House as a teenager during massive pro-democracy protests and unrest, and her father's assassination at the hands of his own security detail. She later became the most hated SK president -- she had been polling at about 3% support -- when the country's second largest protests started due to her corruption. You could say she's most associated with unrest and corruption.

[@merrymachiavelli2041]

Prosecuting out-of-office politicians is fine. If anything, it's a good thing - nobody should be above law, especially not those with power. The thing that needs not to be politicised is the actual trial and verdict.

[@legtendgav556]

That is the biggest concern, of course.

[@Daniel27600]

Dont forget about the 83 MPs and Downing Street staff who were issued fixed penalty notices by the police for their lockdown parties, including the then Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, who was issued with a fine while still in office.

[@danjcollier]

Don’t forget Rishi Sunak was also given an FPN for Partygate., and another recently for riding without a seatbelt

[@danieledwards5313]

That's what I was thinking lol

[@aletheia358]

Penalty notices =/= criminal charges. An example of criminal charges would be Jared O'Meara's fraud change or Fiona Onasanya for lying to police. I would also add 'don't forget about all the Labour councillors who turned a blind eye and/or covered up Moslem child groomer gangs' but, silly me, none of them were ever prosecuted.

[@freewyvern707]

FPNs are very minor cases. They are literally on the level of parking tickets, and really hold no consequences once paid. Including them would be pointless as every time a sitting or former leader got a parking ticket fine would have to be included. The only reason the FPNs were an issue is because Johnson lied to parliament repeatedly. It's the same reason why Sunak's FPN for Partygate and the seatbelt are minor as he simply accepted them like any normal individual.

[@javihernandez2755]

For a part 2 I would suggest former Spanish president Mariano Rajoy, who was part of a party-wide corruption scandal. It's a recurring joke that he wasn't deemed guility because when documents where found, payments to his name appeared as "M. Rajoy" and it seemingly wasn't enough evidence since it wasn't his full name 😂

[@scottodhonnchu5034]

I watched the first and saw a notification for this one and thought, OMG TWO NEW JJ VIDEOS IN ONE WEEK!!! ❤️

[@BOABModels]

Some suggest that Berlusconi (who is 86 years old) is staying active in Italian politics as a means of staying immune from actually going to prison.

[@marcocastelli4205]

I'm a simple italian. I see Berlusconi. I click on the video EDIT: OK I'M CRYING, THE LITTLE PAUSE BEFORE "BUNGA BUNGA" IS JUST PERFECT, THIS IS THE ITALIAN CULTURE WE HAVE TO EXPORT

[@MrMuel1205]

Park Geun-hye and Lula would be interesting cases for a follow up video.

[@jackyex]

Lula would be quite controversial to say the least.

[@alexandrerose6908]

Jj great video, I would have also add that, by a Politico article, Berlusconi had influence over 90% of Italian information media! And he also used his political position to protect his interests ( es the Vivendi case)

[@legtendgav556]

Interesting twist

[@benschultz1784]

Wouldn't be surprised Berlesconi has Mafia ties...

[@keelerrobinson5772]

“Legally dubious shenanigans” should be written on Sylvia Berlusconi’s headstone

[@Claro1993]

Why was the earlier video taken down?

[@pup64hcp]

replying bc I also want to know lol

[@kaibird542]

IMO, politicians should be held to the same legal standards as any citizen. It would show that not only are they being held as accountable as any other person would, it would also keep them from doing a lot of clearly shady things bc they know their political position would allow them to get away with it. Completely wild to me that this seems to be such a foreign concept.

[@FrenchEros]

Trump? Really? How about bringing to justice George W Bush?

[@legtendgav556]

Well, "No one is above the law" is just too catchy to add the _30 asterics_ nessicary

[@samhunt9361]

For what? And no, war crimes aren't admissable.

[@legtendgav556]

@@samhunt9361 darn

[@jecarlin]

@@samhunt9361 Sure they are, as well as the torture regime, I mean, uh, "enhanced interrogation".

[@The_king567]

Nice right wing talking point dude

[@10thletter40]

My problem here is that the prosecution here, Mr. Bragg, is saying that these actions connect to another crime which isn't specified. Basically using a loophole to prosecute which doesn't seem like a "good guy" move to me. But we will see if they have a point or not

[@JJMcCullough]

I mean, even if they are connected to another crime the existing charges are also crimes.

[@10thletter40]

I guess you can conceal a crime without proving there is a crime. But you can't charge for the higher crime involved then lol, especially if the statute of limitations ran out. The main problem is the characterization of the payments involved, as they would say it was for another purpose other than quieting negative stories about Trump.

[@legtendgav556]

​@@JJMcCullough They are outside of his juristiction (federal level), they are outside of the statute of limitations, and the events discribed are likely not not to have occured in the way they were discibed, as if the safegaurds against false prosicution weren't enough.

[@kierangraulich5762]

@@legtendgav556 There are the federal campaign finance laws*, but also New York State election and tax laws which Trump probably violated which fit into the statute of limitations. I agree that it would have been better for the sake of transparency, even if the law does not require it, to detail in the indictment which crime Trump tried to conceal through falsifying the checks to Cohen. Unfortunately, that's just how prosecutors act in general- keeping their cards close to their chest so they can throw everything at the wall down the line. Not specific to charging former Presidents, but still an unfortunate practice. *It's also not clear that the federal campaign finance laws are outside of Bragg's jurisdiction, as he wouldn't be charging Trump with a federal crime, but saying that Trump tried to commit that federal crime through the violation of state law. The statute is unclear as to whether that is allowed.

[@johnchisholm2896]

​@@JJMcCullough not if he didn't commit the first mystery crime. Come on JJ, you're better than that

[@subhadrasatyal100]

Berlusconi is terrible but man he's kind of iconic lmao.

[@shaydes-]

if you commit a crime you need to go to jail, end of story the rules need to apply to everyone, especially presidents

[@nslouka90]

That Italian guy is really something special

[@allymarie6463]

The fact alone that in the States judges belong to a party is completely insane to me to be honest. Shouldn’t the Legal System hold the Government and Politicians in check?! Seems unlikely if the judges act in the interest of their own party and openly do so. I feel like the the whole system itself is quite broken. Correct me if I‘m wrong though.

[@devilofether6185]

JJ is so naive, the justice system isn't impartial, it favors its own justification and existence, molded by politicians for their own gain; and that system favors the already rich and powerful, which is why it is almost impossible for them to face any real consequences. I forget the exact quote, but the fact we live in a society where rich and poor alike are not allowed to sleep under bridges, or steal bread, is a testament to the fairness of our society. People who think this system is fair in a way that matters to the people it affects most, are complicit it the authoritarian persecution of minorities, the working class, the homeless, and the rights of criminals (not all crimes need punishment)

[@jecarlin]

He definitely wears rose colored glasses with his statement U.S. presidents are squeaky clean and law abiding. Iran-Contra, wars of aggression, torture, warrantless wiretapping, droning U.S. citizens without due process come to mind.

[@shinydewott]

We have an election coming up in a month more or less here in Turkey, and I hope I can return to this video one day with a smile on my face and tell you that we are an example of a country which has charged and punished an ex-president over many, many crimes commited by them

[@k.umquat8604]

At most he's gonna get his very own island like Apo did

[@shinydewott]

@@k.umquat8604 hopefully he gets his own island like Menderes

[@krombopulos_michael]

I think it's a pretty lame argument when people basically argue that you can't prosecute someone political because there's a norm of not doing that and now the other side will do it too without actually addressing the merits of the case. The implication seems to be that no matter what happens, political leaders should never be able to be held accountable legally, and that feels like an even worse precedent to set.

[@Matt_Fields_29]

There's one worse argument than that, which is the argument that prosecuting certain people would be "divisive" which implies that any political figure who forms a personality cult is immune from the law because it would incite political retaliation. This basically just gives the country away to whoever is the biggest psycho.

[@asianbits6955]

You should talk about South Korea's troubled past with their corrupt presidents and their controversies

[@ling9731]

Surprised this isn’t higher up. It’s wild how many have gone to prison.

[@KomradZX1989]

Nearly at 1 million subscribers!!! Love all your work JJ, you rock ❤

[@jasperchu2165]

Also, former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib "Jibby" Razak was charged and convicted by the High Court of Malaysia on abuse of power, money laundering and criminal breach of trust, becoming the first to be convicted of corruption and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment and fined RM210 million. Many Malaysians have been rightfully waiting for the day he would see justice

[@samuelthestrong]

What is it with Italy and their statute of limitations? It's supposed to be in place because if too much time has passed since the alleged crime, a defendant might not be able to gather relevant evidence to exonerate themself. But if a trial is already going on, and appeals take you past the statute, that makes no sense, because you were already in the trial and have already got all your evidence, witnesses, and legal defense. Does any other country do that? Time the statute of limitations to the end of the appeals process instead of the beginning of the trial? It seems like a situation ripe for abuse. Also, once again, Italy is a meme country

[@funghi2606]

Berlusconi is one of the wealthiest people in the country, also own majority of Italian media and has his political party… law doesn’t apply to him

[@thatmarchingarrow]

4:45 Also important to mention Gerald Ford was vice president during the Nixon administration and obviously they both belonged to the same party. I really do think mentioning the fact that the person he was pardoning was a close political ally would be pretty relevant.

[@Matt_Fields_29]

The idea that "serious" or "more good faith" people are actually saying we should openly treat politicians as being above the law, like nothing could go wrong, is disturbing beyond description.

[@aleckcain4142]

Most heads of state are already litteral above the law. Sitting presidents and English monarchs for example.

[@Meymeyjuice]

I love rewatching jj videos bc he has different hair and facial hair every 5 months or so

[@ShermanDude2231]

If you read Trumps indictment, the charges are all dependent on his actions being in service of another crime. This is important because otherwise the statute of limitations would be up. NYC has not disclosed what the “other crime” was.

[@adesuwa9112]

True!

[@legtendgav556]

But don't call them trumped up charges!

[@fallenmango8420]

The other crime is likely illegal campaign contribution. The prosecutors approach is likely going to be that, since records state that Trump paid the hush money specifically to defend his presidential campaign, the amount of money he was given in order to pay Stormy Daniels exceeded what was legal for campaign contributions.

[@briandavis6898]

Wonder why.😂

[@nuke___8876]

Fun fact -- Ulysses Grant was arrested for recklessly riding his horse too fast through some village. He was held for several hours and was released after paying a $20 fine which is several hundred dollars in today's money. Knowing Grant, he was probably drunk at the time though no records mention that he was because riding your horse while intoxicated wasn't by-itself illegal back then. Anyways, Trump isn't the first arrested ex-president though you could argue he's the first indicted president whose crimes are actually serious enough to go to prison.

[@samhunt9361]

He also skipped his court date, though to be fair Grant was only going 5km over the speed limit, and I doubt anyone alive today, or even then really morally judged him. Furthermore the man who arested him was Black, and Grant was apparently greatly impressed and happy with this fact, given how much he pushed for civil rights.

[@jamessullivan6031]

In the UK Boris and Rishi both got fined for partying during COVID

[@leontrotsky7816]

Boris wasn't a former leader at the time, though. He was still PM. It's one of the major reasons he isn't any more.

[@legtendgav556]

Fined while others were arrested by these insane laws that they made I don't think I'll get over that

[@happycamperds9917]

I find it interesting that financial crimes are the easiest to prosecute. I guess they are the most "unambiguous" crimes, easier to prove than something like abuse (like the example in this video where it "could be argued" that Silvio didn't know that she was underaged).

[@JJMcCullough]

Campaign finance laws in particular tend to be very strict, and are very stridently enforced.

[@Sorcerers_Apprentice]

The private nature of crimes related to abuse makes them very difficult to prove, unless a camera catches someone in the act. Financial crimes can be proven and documented by a forensic accountant.

[@KremBotop]

Pretty sure that Peruvians have A LOT to say about this specific topic...

[@marcello7781]

Imagine having almost all of your presidents, since 1985, being investigated or prosecuted for corruption and other crimes.

[@realCyng]

I don't know if this is a thing in other countries, but one of the things that impacts perceptions of Trump's case that not too many people talk about is how in certain states, including New York, AGs are directly elected. This particular prosecutor was elected by one of the most Democrat constituencies in the country and explicitly campaigned on locking Trump up. So yeah, it's a lot easier to see the political connections in this case.

[@Jamibolae]

I was watching this video earlier, refreshed and boom, "Video is privated"

[@ordinarryalien]

Berlusconi looks like a Cardassian in the thumbnail.

[@SamAronow]

Ford also lost narrowly because he pardoned Nixon, so I daresay his argument wasn't very convincing.

[@samhunt9361]

At the time, no, I don't think Ford himself was terribly happy with it, though as the years have gone on, more people have come to hesitantly agree with the pardon, such as Former Senator Ted Kennedy.

[@StudioNama]

Forgive me for being the "uneducated American", but man it's kind of a breath of fresh air hearing about other first world countries' political scandals. Also yes, Trump being indicted for not keeping his books clean is WAY less engaging than what he COULD be in trouble for. Very Al Capone-esque.

[@Matt_Fields_29]

There's other districts looking to go after him for more serious stuff, like in Georgia. But these people don't coordinate because they're prosecuting the same person, this indictment came out first merely because NY happened to have their paperwork and grand jury decisions done first.

[@tonnynaomi3926]

you should look into malaysia's case in this topic. there's malaysia's former prime minister, Najib Razak and another former prime minister of malaysia, Muhyiddin Yasin. though, as far as i'm concerned Muhyiddin's case is still under investigations

[@silverstar8868]

I do hope that with anything else, Trumps indictment may lead to politicians acting more appropriately and in the law in order to prevent the perceived possibility of the opposition charging them with any crime.

[@channdler]

It is a good thing that he's facing charges, and I want the same thing to happen to our side, these politicians need to know they are not above the law

[@Bopnan]

If someone ever make a "J.J. McCullough out of context" video, I feel 10:52 is prime material for it.

[@joaovitormatos8147]

Please make a video on the Mulroney-Schreiber affair. This is 100% your kind of content

[@georgedoty-williams2085]

What was wrong with the first video??

[@darktimes6279]

Good to see this back on

[@alexanderfo3886]

9:02 It's funny to see how Karlheinz Schreiber was not only implied in the events sorrounding Helmut Kohl, but also Brian Mulroney. This guy had some talent to cause trouble.

[@Kyotosomo]

In theory it's a great thing for the government to hold politicians to the highest standard and go after them with all its might (that's arguably how Singapore achieved the lowest political corruption in the world). However in actual practice in America where literally over 98% of government employees in Washington all support the same political party, the federal government ends up being weaponized almost exclusively against one side (to the point of borderline fascism). State governments are fairly bad too (with both parties misbehaving there). Hard for me to be enthusiastic about politicians "being held accountable" when it's almost always political and is just another step further towards our democracy backsliding into authoritarianism.

[@ReddoLeoMeme2401]

Only true subscribers will remember he originally uploaded the video on the 9th at around 6pm CEST

[@dsxa918]

Sorry, I'm on da t00b

[@Hand-in-Shot_Productions]

I remember that! It was deleted before I can watch it, though. What's the difference between that one and this one?

[@StephanieJeanne]

Great video, J.J.! I don't think any person of any political persuasion should be immune from prosecution if they have committed a crime either while in office, running for office, or out of office. Nobody likes to see someone they admire or voted for be accused of a crime, but we should all want to hold our politicians to the same legal standards that we are expected to follow. 😊✌️

[@legtendgav556]

We are not held to the same legal standards as one and other, much less our leaders. Particularly in places like New York

[@TheRealBrook1968]

@@legtendgav556 and Jersey. Thinking of John Corzine. All sorts of scandals and he just kept moving up the ladder.

[@ivaningravallo2969]

In Italy there is also PM Bettino Craxi

[@conorkelly947]

gonna need to make a part 2 for Brasil

[@gsco82]

A very well done video! I had heard of most, but not all of the cases you described. It is very interesting and informative to see them collected together in one presentation. Thanks for that.

[@volodyadykun6490]

I think there was similar discussion in Ukraine about trials of Poroshenko. Not to mention Yanukovych was charged. Also wonder if those before them were facing legal system, I think no but there are cases because of which I think maybe

[@GOAT_GOATERSON]

Thank you Mister Canada Man

[@Tippmusic.]

Love your videos JJ I hope you’re doing well! I may just be a comment on a screen but human to human, stay strong! We love you and your content

[@ivangoogle31]

2 of Malaysia's former Prime Ministers, Najib Razak and Muhyiddin Yassin, have faced criminal charges, Najib has been convicted and sent to prison for 12 years(currently serving his sentence), Muhyiddin is currently facing charges

[@Lawfair]

I am largely in different to President Trump as a person or a president. But I am thrilled that he's being prosecuted. The people saying that this will open the flood gates to future prosecutors I say bring it on. I wish more of our leaders were held accountable. Even the ones I like.

[@samuelthestrong]

The utter despair in your soul when you had to gather yourself to utter the phrase "Bunga Bunga parties". Italy is a meme country

[@119fatty]

My dad was in his 20s when Nixon was pardoned. If I recall correctly, he said that at the time he was angry, and thought he should have gone to trial, but he definitely said in retrospect, he believes Ford made the right decision.

[@WVWVW1]

I mean I understand moving Nixons trial down the line. But it still should have happened.

[@carbondated6151]

I too remember the that Richard Nixon resigned and I felt that Ford failed to carry out his duty as Executive by NOT prosecuting Nixon, much in the same way that Lincoln failed in his duty to prosecute Jefferson Davis. Which is the reason WHY Trump tried to over throw the Government. This idea that presidents can't be prosecuted WITHOUT looking "political" is absurd. The entire Impeachment process needs to be revised and re-written so that we can have a"A more perfect union". It the hard part We call "Governing".

[@jfangm]

@@WVWVW1 No, it shouldn't have. The evidence against Nixon was weak at best and likely would not have stood up to close legal scrutiny.

[@Matt_Fields_29]

And your dad was wrong.

[@Matt_Fields_29]

​@@jfangm If it was so weak he wouldn't have resigned.

[@professordogwood8985]

JJ rocking the barn jacket, or perhaps going for the WWII flying ace look.

[@BrotatoeGod]

13:47:turn on captions

[@JJMcCullough]

Lol. Good easter egg

[@forthrightgambitia1032]

Berlusconi actually got parliament to pass a special immunity law in 2008 to prevent prosecutions specifically against him, although the Italian constitutional court later annulled it as unconstitutional in 2009 hence the prosecutions.

[@aperson2191]

Who here after the mugshot

[@ssseee380]

hahaha yessss

[@barzomer2639]

what about my country Israel? right now our PM is charged with corruption, and in the 2000s we had a president and a PM get charged while in office and sent to jail (one for corruption, one for sexual assault). there was also that one in the 70s that left office because of a bank fraud.

[@selahanany5645]

I think a good(and potentially very troublesome) example of the effects of persecution of a leader is israel. Famously, Netanyahu is on trial for corruption for various scandals he has had, and he has reacted by increasingly pushing suspicion on the judicial system(both the prosecution and the courts). It is this distrust that is a key factor in the recent attempts to reform the judicial system, despite them not being directly involved, and it is also a large part of why the protests against the reform have been so extreme, it truly seems to have widened the rift amongst israelis by quite a bit. Of course, it is also a cause for the political crisis that lead to 5 elections in 3 years.

[@JJMcCullough]

Yes, it seems like Bibi has over-estimated the degree that average Israelis think the most important issue in Israel right now is a judicial system able to prosecute prime ministers.

[@clevelander5797]

Middle School Teacher Here Whenever I find myself in a conversation with some complaining about “kids these days” I ask they what they do to fix the problem. Do you volunteer, coach, mentor, youth group, tutor? The responses are usually; positive or the person just walks away. No in between.

[@wombatpandaa9774]

I hope this trend of prosecuting world leaders continues. I think one of the few things we can all, regardless of party affiliation, agree upon is that we're all sick and tured of our leaders doing illegal nonsense and getting away with it. I say prosecute them all. Turn up the heat so unbearably hot that all but the squeakiest clean are sweated out of public office for good. Politicians should be the most trustworthy of any nation, not the least.

[@trevinotano]

Oh nice a Monday video! How fun!

[@uoislame]

why leave off all of Xi's political opponents who were thrown in jail for corruption? Or any of the rivals locked up by Putin? I'm sure Saddam's opponents would like to be remembered too.

[@christophercole8114]

I'm not entirely sure someone can get to be a President, Prime Minister, or other titled World Leader without being involved in some criminal activity at this point. Anyone who is too honest or law-abiding would never get anything done in government.

[@nathanielcowan3971]

Amd now stormy has to pay out

[@legtendgav556]

Pay no mind...

[@natescorner]

Obviously no matter who you are, you should be prosecuted for your crimes. The problem comes when your prosecuting crimes that didn’t happen to try and lie and tear down someone else for being a threat to the establishment.

[@SeanA099]

The thing with Trump is that they seem to be stretching the law so far to go after Trump. Even though federal prosecutors decided not to charge him for the underlying crime, New York prosecutors are charging him for covering up a crime he was never charged with

[@rustydowd879]

It's really blowing my mind that he is this clean. The law is so convoluted and confusing that you can find a felony to railroad anybody. The fact that after 7 years of million dollar investigations they can't stick anything to him, is just making him seem like the unlikely most law abiding man on Earth.

[@realhawaii5o]

I think that one of the most famous cases is Operation Car Wash in Brazil which landed current president Lula da Silva in jail. Around the same time, Portuguese prime minister José Sócrates was also put in jail but for other reasons, even though it was ultimately seen that there was connections between corrupt people on both cases.

[@tynicholson]

Great video. Seeing your QAnon Shaman drawing made me really miss your political cartoons. :-( It's really sad papers in Canada would rather show lame, lazy photoshops by cartoonists who haven't been funny in 30 years rather than your work. On a related note, have always been a bit surprised that you haven't talked about your feelings on January 6, given your affection for American institutions. (I do know you've summarized the event on some occasions, just not your feelings on it.)

[@JJMcCullough]

Jan. 6 was horrible. The people that rioted were obviously deeply delusional lunatics, and I agree that Trump bears a lot of responsibility for egging them on with his lies and nonsense.

[@piekarzpaola]

@@JJMcCullough Still when those lunatics were storming capitol Trump posted a video in which he said to them "go home", just saying

[@TheRealGovika]

I think the whole argument about "he can't have a fair trail with it being so soon so we have to wait" doesn't solve the problem because it can just as easily make people look at a Trump trial 10+ years from now and say "But was what he did as bad as they said back then?" essentially viewing it with rose-tinted glasses. Also, that excuse doesn't work when you consider that he isn't finished. How much longer can he keep going and going before he is eligible for a "fair trail" in the future if he never stops being political?