The political will to prosecute in this environment was lacking, so educating the voting public has been necessary in order to bring political pressure to bear in order to prosecute. It’s a complicated situation for Trump, what with all the Democrats and apparently a large number of Republicans holding the Sword of Damocles in the form of impeachment over his head, for imaginary charges. Things have to be back-doored past the gatekeepers.
Bravo1 The two of you, Dick in #2 above and you in this post, have presented the issue succinctly.