Reagan escaped Iran-Contra while North took the felony convictions

Evidence

OLIVER NORTH ENDED UP being indicted on sixteen felony counts, including lying to Congress and destroying documents. Found guilty on three counts, he received a three-year suspended sentence. As commander in chief, Reagan was never directly implicated in the arms-for-hostages deal, and he emerged from the scandal relatively unscathed. — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne, 272

Categorization

• SEED: The subordinate absorbs the punishment while the commander’s reputation stays clean — a template for analyzing how militantly masculine authority structures diffuse accountability upward.