Why the Law Is Strong Enough to Take On Donald Trump

A 15-count indictment for tax fraud and other charges filed in New York on Thursday against the Trump Organization and its longtime chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, has already stimulated as much hand-wringing as satisfaction from those who have called for accountability for Donald Trump.

Some express concern that Mr. Trump himself was not charged and may never be. Others note that these are “only” state tax fraud counts against his business and an associate — rather than bold federal action against Mr. Trump himself by the Justice Department.

As former federal and state prosecutors and government lawyers, we believe that the charges support a different conclusion. Rather than betraying weakness, they are a signal that our system of dual sovereignty, in which multiple jurisdictions are empowered to address egregious wrongdoing, can also address the difficulties that Mr. Trump has posed in his long-running battle with the rule of law.

These charges raise the possibility of steep fines for the company and jail time for Mr. Weisselberg. Given the relatively small circle of people engaged in Mr. Trump’s organization and his historic tendency to micromanage, there is good reason to suppose that the continuing inquiry is reaching quite close to the ex-president himself. Mr. Trump is reported to have personally been involved in some of the alleged misconduct, like signing the checks for some of the tuition-fee fringe benefits at issue.