Revoking Brennan’s clearance may be a First Amendment violation. Any punishment from government in retaliation for an individual’s political expression infringes upon free speech, not just the most severe punishments.

Firing Comey and other actions may be obstruction of justice. Various statements and actions could also constitute witness tampering.

That’s from Trump’s presidency. From his campaign, there’s the possibility of breaking election laws, conspiracy laws, laws about solicitation of stolen property, and more.

Note that I say “may be” and “possibility” here, just like I said “risks” in the article. These are open questions. The balance of legal opinion agrees that presidential powers are vast, but not limitless, and many of these specific issues have not been tested in court.

It’s easy to find lawyers and legal scholars who make strong arguments for either side regarding each of these cases. But the law itself is ambiguous, and will remain so unless the courts offer a clear ruling.

There’s a live possibility that some of these actions are illegal — remember, we don’t really know — which means Trump risks breaking the law by doing them.