Apart from the American Civil War, it is hard to find a time in our nation’s history when we were this divided. It might take a miracle for the country to unify. In fact, earlier this year, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) – who is no stranger to outrageous statements – suggested on social media, “We need a national divorce. We need to separate by red states and blue states and shrink the federal government. Everyone I talk to says this.”
Clearly, Greene doesn’t believe it is possible to see future unity within the United States, but apparently, neither does former President Donald Trump. As he became the first former president to face federal charges, he has vowed retribution.
“There was an unwritten rule” to not prosecute former presidents and political rivals, Trump told supporters in a speech at his golf club in New Jersey, the Associated Press reported on Friday. “I will appoint a real special prosecutor to go after the most corrupt president in the history of America, Joe Biden, and go after the Biden crime family.”
The comments followed similar rhetoric from the former president who posted to his Truth Social platform last week, “Now that the ‘seal’ is broken, in addition to closing the border & removing all of the ‘criminal’ elements that have illegally invaded our country, making America energy independent & even dominant again, & immediately ending the war between Russia & Ukraine, I will appoint a real special ‘prosecutor’ to go after the most corrupt president in the history of the USA, Joe Biden, the entire Biden crime family, & all others involved with the destruction of our elections, borders, & country itself!”
Trump lashed out at President Joe Biden just days after the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) unsealed a 37-count indictment that included 31 counts under the Espionage Act for the former president’s refusal to return classified materials he took with him upon leaving the White House in 2021.
Biden has so far repeatedly declined to weigh in on the investigation into his predecessor. A special counsel was appointed in Trump’s case to maintain independence. By contrast, Trump has pushed for years to investigate or even target his political rivals. He infamously led chants of “lock her up” – directed at former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who challenged Trump in her 2016 White House campaign.
According to a report from TheHill.com, Trump’s one-time chief of staff, John Kelly said the former president had pushed for the IRS to investigate FBI officials including Director James Comey and his deputy, Andrew McCabe. Trump has also called for then-Attorney General Bill Barr to investigate the Biden family over allegations of corruption.
Standing With Donald Trump
Many of Trump’s allies have stood by the former president since he was formally indicted last week. In addition, the majority of Republican lawmakers have also shown largely unwavering support for Trump, calling the charges politically motivated.
“I, and every American who believes in the rule of law, stand with President Trump against this grave injustice,” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said via a social media post last week. “House Republicans will hold this brazen weaponization of power accountable.”
Given the fact that Trump is also facing trials in New York, and DoJ policy not to interfere with an election, it is now highly unlikely that Trump will be tried on federal charges before the 2024 election. It will therefore be the voters who will ultimately decide if Trump has his chance for retribution.
Author Experience and Expertise
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
From 19FortyFive
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