US President Donald Trump speaks to the media before boarding Air Force One en route to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, in West Palm Beach, Florida, US, November 8, 2026. REUTERS/Eric Lee
Princeton University politics Professor Jan-Werner Müller is begging Democrats not to accept the same old message of "looking forward not back."
Writing for The Guardian Monday, Jan-Werner Müller explained that there is now a mandate on "accountability." Speaking to "Morning Joe" on Wednesday after the election, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) adopted that same kind of language sending his candidacy into Speaker into doubt among his caucus.
“The American people don’t want us to get even. They want us to get things done on their behalf. Because life is way too expensive. We ran on affordability. We won on affordability. And now it’s our job to govern on affordability," he said.
The backlash was swift as incoming Democratic members of Congress said that if he didn't care about accountability, then he should quit while he's ahead. Less than 48 hours later, Jeffries was singing a different tune, making it clear that accountability isn't the same as revenge. Democrats, argued Müller, Democrats have a mandate. to enforce accountability.
“It is imperative not to treat accountability as some kind of abstract moral question; even the most hard-headed politicians have to understand that the inability to deal with crimes and misdemeanors now will come back to haunt them – and, in fact, the nation as a whole," explained Müller.
He went on to cite writer Richard Beck, who pointed to the lack of accountability for presidents who break the law. Gerald Ford's pardon of Nixon and the limited consequences of the Iran-Contra scandal and the war on terror led America to the era of Donald Trump. Beck argues that moving on without consequences has given Trump the comfort to obliterate norms and laws.
If Americans ever want to be taken seriously on the international stage again, they must begin holding officials accountable for breaking the law. If they don't, Müller argued, "the message to present and future politicians will be: there are never consequences."
“For any other government ever to trust an American administration again, there would have to be globally visible accountability, as well as a comprehensive cultural distancing from Trumpism," he added.
He acknowledged there will likely be practical obstacles. Witnesses could resist subpoenas, court proceedings take time, and he said that it's clear the Justice Department is unwilling to investigate the administration impartially. However, Congress has a historical power to detain uncooperative witnesses, even if it's unlikely the speaker would allow it.
While Democrats are giddy about a possible third Trump impeachment, the votes simply aren't there. It might be possible to eventually get the votes there, but hearings long before that, addressing scandal after scandal, could be what moves the needle.
“It shows citizens the evidence for crimes and misdemeanors, and that evidence, carefully assembled, can then eventually also be helpful to a Department of Justice that has regained its integrity," said Müller.
Those from the "move forward, not back" crowd profoundly underestimate "citizens’ desire for justice; it also fails to see that, with a large majority in the House, one can do more than one thing.”