Why those who wish to see Trump jailed soon will be disappointed

The prosecutors trying to convict Donald Trump face a highly unusual deadline. Retaking the presidency would offer Mr Trump his best escape from jeopardy: once back in the White House, he would be able to squelch or pause the four criminal cases lodged against him. Hence prosecutors’ urgency—and a public interest—in concluding those trials before November. Miss that opportunity and he may never be held accountable in a court of law for his alleged crimes.The 91 felony charges against Mr Trump are both serious and picaresque. The weightiest are related to his role in the attack on the Capitol on January 6th 2021. His attempt to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election was the most shocking and serious assault on the constitution in decades, if not since the civil war; whether a jury would see Mr Trump as guilty or innocent has obvious salience as voters prepare to decide whether to return him to the presidency. There are additional allegations about election interference in Georgia and the mishandling of state secrets. And (as if a Trump saga could not be without a splash of tabloid entertainment) there is also a plot involving a payment to a porn star.