A Belligerent President, Accusations of Treason, and a Stolen Supreme Court Seat

How Thomas Jefferson's Feud with Aaron Burr Defined What It Means to Betray America

What does treason mean in America?

One answer lies in our nation’s founding document. Treason is the only crime defined in the U.S. Constitution, which states: “Treason against the United States shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.”

The Founders borrowed this language from the law of King Edward III of England. Enacted in A.D. 1350, Edward III’s statute had also criminalized “compassing or imagining” the death of the king, sexually violating certain women in the royal …