A recent Navigator poll finds that a majority of Americans agree that if prosecutors have evidence Trump has committed a crime, they should follow the facts to get to the truth. There can’t be one justice system for everyday people and another for the rich and powerful. Trump and his MAGA co-conspirators must face a jury of their peers, just like anyone else.
Still, the same MAGA Republicans who supported, schemed, and covered up for Trump—in order to enrich the already wealthy and attack our freedoms—are now choosing to ignore the facts, defame and intimidate public servants, and obstruct prosecution. They continue to be complicit in his wrongdoing.
Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee and serves on the House Oversight Committee, went on Fox News and threatened to defund federal agencies in retaliation for prosecutors holding Trump accountable for his actions: “[Republicans] control the power of the purse, and we’re going to look at the appropriations process and limit funds going to some of these agencies, particularly the ones engaged in the most egregious behavior.”
It’s not just him. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy also promised retaliation: “The House of Representatives will hold [Manhattan District Attorney] Alvin Bragg and his unprecedented abuse of power to account.” Sen. Lindsey Graham was in tears, urging Trump allies to “give him money so he can fight.” Tucker Carlson even mentioned it’s “probably not the best time to give up your AR-15.” Since the indictment was announced—and even before, when it comes to DA Bragg—Republicans have deployed antisemitic conspiracy theories, threatened the case’s judge, prosecutor, and their families with violence, and continued to repeat the Big Lie that the 2020 election was stolen.
RELATED STORY: Trump attacks judge and prosecutor hours after being told to stop doing that
I would be embarrassed if I weren’t so thoroughly horrified.
While Democrats defend the rule of law, Trump Republicans are once again attempting to shield Trump from accountability. They plan to use this and any future indictments to inflame their MAGA base, and set the stage for further attacks on democracy.
It makes sense. Republicans coalesced behind Trump because he empowered them to pass the 2017 GOP tax scam, stack the Supreme Court with Federalist Society extremists, and roll back the freedom to decide what happens to our own bodies. He has been central to enacting their radical right-wing ideology.
However, Americans are increasingly demanding an economy that works for everyone, rejecting candidates who seek to enact abortion bans, and opposing cuts to vital government programs like Social Security and Medicare. Republican attempts to distract and divide us with manufactured culture wars—outlawing drag shows, banning books, or vilifying transgender people, for example—are falling flat, threatening their ability to seize wealth and take away our freedoms. And so they’re using this moment to remain relevant.
All of this is a sobering reminder of how fragile our democracy really is. While these are Trump’s first criminal charges—and the first time in U.S. history that a former president has been criminally charged—they may not be the last. The former MAGA president could still be charged in at least two other investigations for allegedly conspiring to defraud the United States and Georgia in order to overturn the 2020 election.
RELATED STORY: Trump indictment provides damning ‘statement of facts’ that lays out scheme to sway 2016 election
Donald Trump has already gotten away with far more than someone like you or I would have when it comes to breaking the law. We can’t allow the Republican Party to succeed in preventing accountability. There can’t be a different criminal legal system for the rich and powerful if the rule of law is to mean anything. Democracy demands accountability.
State and federal authorities can and must act swiftly to hold Trump accountable for his crimes as well as his other attacks on our democracy and elections. We must make it clear that no one—not even a former president with the backing of his political party—is above the law.
Sign if you agree: No one is above the law.
Our planned Ukraine episode will have to wait, as Donald Trump is being arraigned in New York City for his role in falsifying records to hide hush money paid to Stormy Daniels. This is the first of a potential slew of indictments coming Trump’s way, and we are here for a celebration of karmic justice—and to talk about what happens to the Republican Party after this.
