I think it was an impeachable offense, given that Democrats knew from the start that the president didn't have that power, yet he tried it anyway and let the courts strike it down. Pelosi even said once: "People think that the President of the United States has the power for debt forgiveness. He does not. He can postpone. He can delay. But he does not have that power. That has to be an act of Congress."

I don't know if that would be prosecutable. Is there a federal law against acting as though you have powers you do not while in office?

I suppose the difference is that having SEAL Team Six kill a political opponent on the President's orders seems like it should be classified as first-degree murder.

The court struck him down, and yet he has continued to do it.

Are you implying that should make me want to change my previous answer?

That is a good point. I would happily let Trump go free if it means that Biden can delete all student debt without fear of prosecution.

I wouldn't. Edu debt is insidious, but it's not worth allowing the president break whatever laws desired as long as the actions can be twisted to be considered "official".

Look-- prosecution and liability of people holding office is tricky.

We neither want a world where every politician faces investigation for misdeeds after leaving office, nor one where apparently the president can act with impunity with no clear limits at all.

We need a middle path, where prosecution is rare and exceptional but true misdeeds can be punished (and deterred).

I feel like we left behind where we were slightly over-investigating and made a massive overcorrection to the other side for blatantly political reasons.