Treason vs Betrayal

[OnDoutside]

With people wary of using the Treason word, it occurred to me that Betrayal might be a better fit i.e. Trump is betraying the American people and the Constitution.

I was looking up the difference, and came across this thread from 2010

https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/treason-vs-betrayal.2001427/

Is there a difference between treason and betrayal ?

It seems to me that treason is used in the context of law and that betrayal in more general. Am I right ?

__________________________________________________________________________________

Answers

Treason is indeed an offence under English law. It has been a capital offence since 1351 and includes essentially helping one's own nation's enemies (so a French person can't be accused of treason against Britain). However it includes such miscellaneous offences as arson in the royal dockyards and raping the queen or female heir to the throne.

Betrayal, fortunately, is far less dramatic.

But what can be considered betrayal, is it the same as "disloyalty"?

If you accuse a president of treason and betrayal, should I assume that betrayal is a synonym of disloyalty? He was not loyal to his nation, for example...

It might be easier with examples. Let's say a president allowed a rival country access to military secrets - that would be treason. He might also break his election promises (to reduce unemployment, build more schools, or whatever) - that would be betrayal but not treason. A president can betray his electorate without betraying his country. Treason is if you like a subset of betrayal

[EndGOPPropaganda]

1. We should embrace calling Trump a traitor

There is a stupid right wing talking point that you cant call someone a traitor unless they commit the Constitutionally defined crime.


That is dumb.
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg committed espionage, but we call them traitors.
Klaus Fuchs same.
Hanssen same.


The president has engaged in treasonous acts. The president is a traitor to America. Whether or not he will ever be convicted of the crime of treason.

[OnDoutside]

3. I'm not sure but I think there's lots of room to say Republicans are betraying the

American people by not keeping Trump in check. With the midterms coming I think that is the best angle.

[EndGOPPropaganda]

8. Works for me

I also think tying GOP to their billionaire donors is effective.

[dalton99a]

2. Trump is okay with Russian military intelligence attacking America

and he is not doing anything about it. This is not about spending money to build roads or schools.

Link to tweet

[OnDoutside]

4. And it's not ideological, he's an empty vessel but he is profoundly corrupt.

[dalton99a]

5. Selling out one's country for personal gain - at the highest level - is treason in my book.

[OnDoutside]

6. Another Aldrich Ames.

[Spider Jerusalem]

7. "Treason" is the crime of betrayal

there was a crime known as "petty treason": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petty_treason