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Donald Trump\u2019s legal troubles are mounting. A Manhattan grand jury investigation into the hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels could soon make Trump the first former American president ever to be criminally indicted.\n\nBut the Manhattan case isn\u2019t the only source of legal risk for Trump. In Georgia, the Fulton County district attorney is considering criminal charges for Trump\u2019s efforts to influence the 2020 election, and the Department of Justice is investigating his role in the Jan. 6 riots and the removal of classified documents from the White House.\n\nThis level of legal vulnerability surrounding a former president is unprecedented. It\u2019s also unsurprising \u2014 Trump routinely flouts protocols and norms. But even more than his disregard for convention, Trump has a knack for forcing our legal and political systems into predicaments that don\u2019t really have good solutions. How should a political system handle criminal charges against a current political candidate? Is it appropriate for prosecutors to consider the risk of mob violence in weighing charges? And what\u2019s the risk of damage to our institutions of holding Trump accountable \u2014 and for failing to do so?\n\n[You can listen to this episode of \u201cThe Ezra Klein Show\u201d on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google or wherever you get your podcasts.]\n\nDavid French, my colleague at The New York Times, is a lawyer and conservative commentator who has been trying to parse the legal merits of the Trump inquiries and the thorny political questions they raise. In this episode, we explore the investigations into Trump\u2019s misconduct and the interconnected risks that he, his supporters and the Republican Party pose to our political system.\n\nWe discuss the details of the Stormy Daniels case and why it may not be a slam dunk; the inquiry into Trump\u2019s efforts to overturn election results in Georgia; the appropriateness of weighing the \u201cnational interest\u201d when prosecuting a political figure; whether Gerald Ford\u2019s 1974 pardon of Richard Nixon created a precedent that presidents are above the law; why French worries about giving a mob \u201cveto power\u201d over the rule of law; the Department of Justice\u2019s Jan. 6 investigation and why the legal definition of incitement might be hard to clear; French\u2019s belief that moral courage among Republican elites could stopped Trump\u2019s rise to power; why he thinks the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit against Fox News was a \u201ctremendous public service\u201d; whether Fox News is really showing \u201crespect\u201d for its viewers, and more.\n\nMentioned:\n\n\u201cMAGA, Not Trump, Controls the Movement Now\u201d\xa0by David French\n\n\u201cThe Potential Trump Indictment Is Unwise\u201d\xa0by David French\n\nBook Recommendations:\n\nWe the Fallen People by Robert Tracy McKenzie\n\nThe Napoleonic Wars by Alexander Mikaberidze\n\nRing of Steel by Alexander Watson\n\nThoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com.\n\nYou can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of \u201cThe Ezra Klein Show\u201d at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast, and you can find Ezra on Twitter @ezraklein. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs.\n\nThis episode of \u201cThe Ezra Klein Show\u201d is produced by Annie Galvin, Emefa Agawu, Jeff Geld, Roge Karma and Kristin Lin. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris, Rollin Hu, Kristin Lin, Kristina Samulewski and Kate Sinclair. Mixing by Jeff Geld and Sonia Herrero. Original music by Isaac Jones. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta. The executive producer of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser. Special thanks to Pat McCusker and Kristina Samulewski.