I used to think only Banana Republics prosecuted and imprisoned politicians who lost.

But we need to make an exception for the Orange Republican.

These wouldn’t be political prosecutions for actions as president — except for the shitty attempt at a coup. But we still need “justice delayed” for all the crimes Baby Hands committed before he lost the 2016 vote (fucking Electoral College).

Remember “Individual One”? Micheal Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison for tax fraud and lying. He was only “following orders.” Usually the crime boss gets more time than the crony. But this “boss” had the temporary shelter of Presidential Immunity.

Cohen’s crime was for the little shit — paying off a porn star and maybe silencing another witness. Less than $500k.

But the hundreds of millions in criminal fraud has yet to be detailed. We all already know the Trump Organization’s “family business” is inflating values for the bank and deflating them for the tax man.

Cohen said it to Congress. Mary Trump’s book and the New York Times reports from 2018 lay out the pattern.

It’s fraud on both sides of the equation. Bank fraud for lying to get the oversized loans. Tax fraud for lying to keep your income tax at $0-$750 a year.

Some will say we should also go after Trump for the crimes he committed as president. The endless violations of the Hatch Act. Ivanka’s IP negotiations with China. The special “prices” the Secret Service and military paid to stay in Trump hotels. The GSA signing away the FBI re-location to protect Trump hotels from new competition. Imprisoning kids and splitting up families…

But that slope gets slippery. We could prosecute every president:

• Obama for his kills lists.
• Bush Jr. for his criminal war in Iraq
• Clinton for bombing Kosovo and doing nothing in Rwanda
• Bush Sr. for the crack infestation or supporting Noreiga and then invading Panama
• Reagan for Iran-Contra…

Rational people could argue those crimes were done for the good of the nation. It’s nothing but narcism for Trump. The crimes of other presidents get cronies put in jail or destroy the reputations of the underlings. Under-secretaries and sometimes a cabinet member or two. Victims of plausible deniability.

Trump’s cronies are serving time and serving up Trump as knowing full well what they had done. There is no deniability. There is only culpability.

But if we start down that road, every x-president will leave office in an orange jump suit. We don’t want America to turn into Illinois — where almost every governor doesn’t end his term with conviction — they end with a conviction.

We need to make an exception for Trump for at least two reasons.

First, he is a criminal — in every sense of the word. He blows off every law like a bad first date. He corrupts every institution he touches from the Justice Department to military contracts.

Second, his crimes must be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt to break up his cult.

He is still talking about over-throwing an election. He is still claiming the election was “stolen.” He’s got Pompeo and other Republicans talking about a second Trump term — despite losing by more than 5 million votes (and counting).

To restore the Republican Party and bring balance to our democracy, Trump has to be humiliated — like Nixon. He has to be dragged out of office, isolated from allies and cut off from his supporters.

Nixon’s Republicans could be persuaded with facts and reality. Trump’s cult is past that. As long as they can feed on his Twitter and the propaganda of his enablers, 70 million will fly his flags and follow every lie.

Not until all of the dirty details are brought to light. Not until his own Supreme Court denies his appeals because the evidence is overwhelming. Not until he can’t even shove his cell phone up his ass to get passed the guards and back on Twitter.

Then maybe we can break “Trumpism.” Then maybe, the Republicans can find new leaders who are not tainted by this stain. Then maybe we can all relegate this regime to a bad footnote in our history. Trump can replace Andrew Johnson as the impeached, one-termer who only held onto power by siding with the racists.

This shouldn’t be a pattern. Trump is the new American Exceptionalism. The only x-president who should end his term in jail. That’s what we should do with traitors.