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Why 'treason' doesn't quite describe Trump's actions in Helsinki

Treason has very narrow legal definition, says law professor
The two leaders reach a major agreement: They don't care for Robert Mueller. Photo: Chris McGrath/Getty Images

The two leaders reach a major agreement: They don't care for Robert Mueller. Photo: Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Treason might feel like the right word to describe the behaviour of U.S. President Donald Trump, but it may not be the right charge, according to a professor of constitutional law.

There is a "lack of a good word to describe behaviour like Trump's," said Carlton Larson, a professor at the University of California.

"The most natural word to fall on — when you see the president doing what he did — is treason," he told The Current's guest host Duncan McCue.

The legal definition of treason — which is the only crime defined in the U.S. constitution — is "limited to levying war against the United States, or adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort," Larson explained.

But treason has a colloquial meaning — a person who betrays a country.

"It's quite possible to betray the country, to put other countries' interests ahead of our own, and to do things that severely undermine the country, without technically being a traitor," Larson said.

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Source: CBC News:

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