Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Wednesday, Dec 11, 2024

Republicans defend Trump by attacking criminal justice system

Republicans defend Trump by attacking criminal justice system

Many Republicans in the US Congress have responded to Donald Trump’s looming Tuesday arraignment by characterizing the criminal justice system as corrupt, in accusations that parallel their earlier broadsides against the nation’s elections after the former president’s 2020 defeat.
Trump and his allies in the House of Representatives and Senate have used rhetoric that echoed his false claims of widespread election fraud in the build-up to the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the US Capitol by his supporters.

Critics warn that the present partisan rhetoric could shake public trust in courts by undermining the institutional legitimacy of the criminal justice system.

“Trump’s indictment is the culmination of six years of the Democrats weaponizing law enforcement to target and persecute their political enemies.

Dictatorships operate like this – the US is supposed to be different,” tweeted Sen. Ted Cruz, a hard-line Republican who voted to overturn 2020 election results. Trump says he is innocent of the expected New York charges — which revolve around hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign. Details of the charges are as yet unclear.

He says the investigation and three other probes involving his attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat and his retention of classified documents after leaving the White House are all politically motivated.

Most Democrats have warned against challenging the legitimacy of the institutions of government in defense of Trump, who routinely pushed up against the guard rails of democracy during his four years in the White House and was twice impeached by Congress.

“Political leaders ought to stand up for the American system of government,” said Democratic Representative Zoe Lofgren, a member of the House Judiciary Committee who also served on the congressional investigation of the Jan. 6 attack.

“Undercutting the system of government is a serious matter and a threat to our future,” she said in an interview.

Trump has been unrestrained in his rhetoric in recent weeks, calling for protests and warning of potential “death & destruction” if he were to be charged.

He used fiery language hours before his supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, in a bid to overturn his election defeat. Five people including a police officer died during or shortly after that riot and more than 140 police officers were injured. The Capitol suffered millions of dollars in damage.

Most Republicans have trained their invective on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, accusing the prosecutor of mounting a politically motivated investigation aimed at preventing Trump from being reelected to the White House in 2024.

After Trump on March 18 announced that he expected to be arrested in days, the Republican-controlled House launched its own probe of Bragg’s grand jury investigation, seeking documents and testimony. They have called Bragg’s move “an unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority” and said the indictment followed years of the office searching for any basis on which to bring charges.

Democrats questioned whether Congress has the authority to investigate a state-level investigation, particularly one conducted under secretive grand jury rules.

Bragg, a Democrat, on Friday warned Republican Representatives Jim Jordan, James Comer and Bryan Steil, who are leading the probe, against attacking the criminal justice system.

“You and many of your colleagues have chosen to collaborate with Mr. Trump’s efforts to vilify and denigrate the integrity of elected state prosecutors and trial judges,” the Manhattan prosecutor wrote.

House Republicans continued to push back. Firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene said she planned to protest against Trump’s court appearance on Tuesday, while Brian Mast went further and told CNN he would not accept the outcome of a jury trial, saying “I don’t have a trust that a jury will make a fair assessment of this.”

Not all Republicans were so quick to cast doubt on the courts.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson issued a statement that called for patience and underscored the legal principle that Trump, as a defendant, should be presumed innocent.

“We need to wait on the facts and for our American system of justice to work like it does for thousands of Americans every day,” said Hutchinson, who is considering his own 2024 White House run.

Historians including Princeton University professor Julian Zelizer said Republican statements about Bragg and the criminal justice system follow a long-established partisan line.

“The party has invested a great deal in attacking the legitimacy of institutions, which is why Trump fit well into the party and continues to be popular,” Zelizer said in an email.

Nicole Hemmer, director of the Rogers Center for the American Presidency at Vanderbilt University, warned that Republican attacks on the US criminal justice system could ultimately have dire consequences for courts and juries.

“This is the end-game of the ‘deep state’ rhetoric that Donald Trump has deployed since 2016 to sow those seeds of distrust in institutions of accountability,” Hemmer said.

“We haven’t yet seen a cataclysmic moment in this rejection of the courts. But we are starting to see the steps toward it, as we saw the steps toward Jan. 6 coming from a long way off.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Russia’s Safe Haven: Bashar al-Assad Transferred Amid International Scrutiny
Israel's Delicate Balancing Act in Syrian Turmoil
Syrian Chemical Arsenal: A Looming Global Threat in Assad's Wake
Qatar's Democratic Dilemma: A Referendum on Representation
The Obsession That Could Divide: GB News and Its Singular Focus on UK Muslims
Anatomy of Regime Change: The Key Players in Syria's Tumultuous Fall
Syria After Assad: A Pyrrhic Victory with Uncertain Horizons
The Day After Assad: Can Syria Steer Clear of the Libyan Pitfall?
UAE Accelerates Quantum Computing Investment: A Leap into the Future
Geopolitical Chess: Trump's Reflections on Russia's Waned Syrian Influence
Iranian Embassy in Damascus Attacked Amidst Rising Tensions
A New Dawn in Syria: The Flag That Signals Change
Assad's Departure Signals New Epoch for Syria
Bridging Continents: The EU-GCC Summit's Strategic Dance
The Brussels Nexus: Balancing Energy, Economy, and Human Rights at the EU-GCC Summit
Dubai Ride 2024 Transforms Sheikh Zayed Road into Cycling Haven
UAE's Bold Leap into Space: Navigating Innovation and Ambition
UAE's Health Initiatives Pave the Way for Medical Breakthroughs and Global Partnerships
Piercing the Cosmic Veil: Abu Dhabi's Astronomical Breakthrough
Benralizumab: A Potential Milestone in Asthma Treatment
Navigating the Cosmos: UAE's Leap Toward Space Supremacy
Border Closures Echo Through the Middle East: The Syrian Conflict's New Chapter
Iran Releases Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi Amidst Global Appeals
UAE's Celestial Events and Scientific Milestones Take Center Stage
Narges Mohammadi: A Temporary Reprieve in the Struggle for Freedom
Syria's Strategic Chokehold: The Tumultuous Fate of Homs
Syrian Rebels' Swift Offensive Threatens Assad's Regime
Aleppo's Revitalized Front: A Crucible for Russia's Middle Eastern Ambitions
Global Tensions Rise Amid Accusations, Advances, and Diplomatic Shifts
A Temporary Release: The Fragile Freedom of Iran's Narges Mohammadi
Syrian Rebels Make Major Gains in Aleppo
UK Intelligence Chief Warns: Iran's Nuclear Ambitions Pose Global Threat
Hezbollah Chief Declares 'Great Victory' Against Israel
Hamas Delegation Engages in Gaza Ceasefire Talks in Egypt
Rebel Advances Lead to Aleppo Airport Closure
France's Delicate Position on Netanyahu's ICC Arrest Warrant
Global Tensions Mount: Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire Strained, International Calls for Free Expression, and Strategic Military Shifts
La Niña Devastates Indonesia, Military Corruption Unraveling in China, and Rising Tensions in Middle East: Global Briefing
Walmart Drops Diversity Initiatives Amid Broader Conservative Backlash; Global Drug Crackdown and More News Highlights
Global Tensions and Legal Battles: Mexican Trade Disputes, British Investigations, and India's Energy Challenges
Elon Musk's Call to Abolish CFPB, Trump's Controversial Appointments, and Global Tensions: Key Developments in Politics and Security
Ceasefire in Lebanon Tested Amidst U.S. Arms Sale to Israel and Ongoing Gaza Conflict
US and France Broker Ceasefire Between Israel and Hezbollah as Regional Tensions Simmer
Tragedy at Sea: Egyptian Rescue Mission Unfolds Amidst Global Tensions and Legal Battles
Ukraine Seeks South Korean Weapons Aid Amid Russian Conflict; Global Tensions and Defense Shifts Unfold
Israeli Finance Minister Advocates Halving Gaza's Population
Israel and Lebanon Reach Ceasefire Agreement
UN Investigates Exploitation in Chad Refugee Camps as Middle Eastern and US Tensions Unfold
Historic Opportunity for Turkish-Kurdish Peace Talks as Global Tensions Rise
UK Campaigners Seek High Court Injunction on F-35 Parts to Israel Amid Rising Middle East Tensions
×