Rep. Bennie Thompson (D, MS), former chairman of the Jan. 6 Committee, proposes removing Trump’s Secret Service protection if he is convicted on state charges. Recall that Trump is not only a former president, but also the leading candidate of the Republican Party for president in the November election. He is what in many countries is called the Leader of the Opposition.

To remove his protection is to hope that the 2024 election will be decided not by the voters but by the equivalent of Lee Harvey Oswald. That is worse than a crime; it is a sin against democracy.

Recall that twice during the 2016 campaign, candidate Trump twice (as far as we know) needed Secret Service protection.

On the left we see agents of his small detail aiding Trump up a freeway shoulder, which he had to traverse because the entrance to the hotel was blocked by demonstrators whom the police failed to clear.

On the right we see agents shielding Trump from a man rushing the podium, who was going to do who-knows-what. Protecting Trump is not just a theoretical possibility. It already happened, Those who plan to remove his protection clearly hope it will happen again.