President Donald Trump’s extremist attacks on Democratic Party leaders as “enemies from within” and talk of deploying the military against political opponents if he wins the election put the U.S. rule of law at risk. The signs are clear, former Justice Department officials and academics say.
Trump, who threatened former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff by calling them “enemies from within” and “more dangerous than China (and) Russia,” is using his return to the White House to pursue his own interests. This ties in with his earlier inflammatory statement about doing so. “Revenge” against political opponents led by Joe Biden. He also suggested the military could be used to quell violence at polling stations by “radical left-wing lunatics.”
These comments, and Trump’s steadfast refusal to say he would accept the election results even if he loses, have led to criticism that Trump poses an unprecedented danger to the U.S. Constitution. There is.
Critics say President Trump’s campaign rhetoric is particularly worrying. That’s because President Trump is in line with his efforts to falsely claim there was voter fraud after losing the 2020 election, while his allies’ That’s because the mob is plotting to overturn the results before storming the Capitol. result.
Earlier this month, John Kelly, Trump’s former chief of staff and former four-star Marine general, criticized Trump on the Atlantic as unfit to govern, saying, “We need a general like Hitler had.” This has heightened concerns about President Trump’s second term. ”
Former Justice Department officials say President Trump has demonized his political opponents as “enemies from within” (a term used by seditious Sen. Joe McCarthy) and is considering using the military to retaliate. I’m shocked that it’s there.
“President Trump’s anti-democratic and authoritarian rhetoric has intensified as the election approaches,” said Michael Bromwich, a former Justice Department inspector general.
“Rather than keeping a secret enemy list, he publicly names the enemies he vows to take action against. The Trump judiciary is charged with addressing President Trump’s desire to retaliate against these enemies. The implications for the ministry are frightening to think about.”
“Those who take their oath to the Constitution seriously have in mind someone who views the Constitution and the rule of law as a nuisance to be avoided, rather than a set of principles to be strictly respected,” Bromwich said. “I have a hard time getting it done,” he said.
Other Justice Department veterans have expressed similar concerns about President Trump’s second term.
“Mr. Trump’s comments are dangerous for two reasons. Using the power of the presidency to go after political opponents is an extremely dangerous departure from democratic norms and the rule of law,” the former eastern Michigan confederate said. said Barbara McQuaid, a prosecutor and professor at the University of Michigan School of Law.
“The rule of law requires equal application of the law to all people, not retaliation for political activity or speech. Second, the military is used against foreign enemies rather than against its own citizens. These tactics are found in authoritarian regimes, not democracies. If we continue with these threats, this country as we know it will change.”
Concerns about how Trump will govern in his second term have been raised after former senior officials from Trump’s first administration publicly labeled Trump a fascist and unfit to be president again. It’s metastasized.
Trump’s former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, is quoted in Bob Woodward’s new book calling Trump a “deep-rooted fascist.”
Kelly also told the New York Times that Trump meets the definition of a “fascist” and “prefers a dictator’s approach to government,” adding that “Hitler did good things.”
Last Friday, President Trump attacked Kelly again, calling him a “terrible job” and boasting that he fired her for “a stupid job to begin with.” These are false stories from a fired general. ”
Thirteen former Trump officials signed a letter supporting Kelly’s accusations and attacking Trump’s “disdain for the U.S. military and admiration of dictators like Hitler.”
Like Hitler, Trump’s obsession with having military personnel loyal to him fits a larger pattern in Trump’s world. Trump and his allies have made it clear that loyalty to Trump is a prerequisite for entering the new administration, and moderate Republicans have made it clear that loyalty to Trump is a prerequisite. You are not welcome.
Critics say Trump intends to form an administration without the kind of guardrails that existed to rein in the authoritarian instincts of Mr. Kelly and Mr. Milley. This is underscored by Trump’s campaign statements about using the Justice Department to seek “revenge” against Kelly. enemy.
On Friday, President Trump told podcast host Joe Rogan that North Korea faces “bigger problems with enemies from within” than North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, and said that as president, he His thinking was clear when he admitted his “biggest mistake.” Hiring “dishonest people”.
President Trump’s recent incendiary claims dovetail with his call for “an end to all rules, regulations, and provisions, including those in the Constitution” at Truth Social in 2022, and he said in 2020 that He justified this by citing false claims that the election was stolen.
“Trump wants to try again without interference from people who say it can’t be done,” said Tim Naftali, a senior research fellow at Columbia University. Those who served as guardrails during his first term are now worried about what he will do if he ends up in a second term without guardrails. From personal experience, they know his instincts are detrimental to America’s national security and constitutional democracy. ”
Naftali also noted that the Supreme Court’s much-criticized decision expanding presidential immunity “makes it easier for Trump to impose whatever he wants on his own people if he wins.”
“The court has created a more permissive environment for abusive presidents. If reelected, Trump could take advantage of the new permissive environment created by the Supreme Court that subjects official conduct to at least a presumed immunity.” Dew.”
Mr. Naftali’s warnings are reinforced by Mr. Trump’s repeated threats to take revenge on his enemies. Trump often portrays his opponents as part of a “deep state” conspiracy against him, claiming that the plot includes an armed Justice Department enacting “laws” against him. There is.
No one in our history has emphasized the Constitution like President Trump.
No wonder President Trump last Thursday stepped up his attacks on Special Counsel Jack Smith, who brought criminal charges against the former president for sabotaging the 2020 election and illegally removing hundreds of classified documents upon leaving office. Trump said Smith should be fired and “deported from the country” within “two seconds.”
Justice Department veterans are expressing alarm at President Trump’s series of authoritarian threats to take revenge on opponents of both parties if he defeats Kamala Harris.
“For a long time, Donald Trump has promised to use the government to punish his opponents.” Donald Ayer, who served as deputy attorney general under former President George H.W. “It is shocking but not surprising that we have adopted Joseph McCarthy’s language by labeling certain targets as ‘enemies from within.’
“But this is yet another part of his single-minded effort to divide the American people and establish his own authoritarian power by attacking the fundamental principles that have long united us.” The American people should not let him get away with this.”
Other Justice Department alumni see a second Trump victory as posing an unprecedented danger.
“No one in our history has emphasized the Constitution more than Trump,” said Ty Cobb, a lawyer and former Justice Department official who served in the Trump White House.
Cobb added: “The Founders believe that a crippled narcissist like Trump has been convicted of dozens of criminal felonies and has serious charges pending, some involving functional insurrection. “They could not have imagined that he could be a rapist who was held liable for hundreds of millions of dollars in civil fraud.” There is a possibility that he will become a serious presidential candidate, much less that he will win. ”
Bromwich also believes the possibility of Trump returning to power is frightening.
“What would a Justice Department staffed by senior officials seeking to implement President Trump’s authoritarian, unconstitutional, and retributive-minded policies look like? , staffed by lawyers with much ambition and little principle, and the president himself is protected by immunity from prosecution granted by the Supreme Court.
