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President-elect Donald Trump signaled last year that he would use the FBI and Justice Department to attack political opponents if he were to secure a return to the White House, which would lead to President Joe Biden, former Attorney General Bill Barr and Manhattan There is a possibility that people in the district will be pursued. Attorney Alvin Bragg and Special Prosecutor Jack Smith.
This photo combination shows Special Counsel Jack Smith (left) and Donald Trump.
AFP (via Getty Images)
important facts
Months after he was indicted in four separate cases on charges of business fraud, mishandling of classified documents and election interference — charges orchestrated by President Joe Biden to “attempt to rig and steal the election” Trump has suggested that if he returns to office, he could use federal agencies to prosecute political opponents.
In an interview with Spanish-language television station Univision last November, Trump said that “it certainly could happen” and that his indictment “released the genie from the box.”
He once again claimed that his indictment was part of an election fraud scheme, saying, “If I’m president and I see people who are doing well and are hitting me hard, I’m going to attack them.” In most cases, they will lose their jobs.” they will go out. ”
In an October interview with Fox News, President Trump hinted that the military could be used as a potential weapon against adversaries, repeatedly saying he was concerned about the “enemy from within.”
Over the summer, President Trump shared posts on his social media site, Truth Social, calling for a “TV military tribunal” against his political opponents, especially former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, who has spoken out against him.
Before his second-term victory on Tuesday, President Trump and his allies were hatching a plan for how to use the federal government to punish critics and opponents, The Washington Post reported, and Trump The president had reportedly told advisers and friends that he wanted to get it done once and for all, allies who had become critical of him during his tenure.
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Who did President Trump threaten to indict?
President Trump publicly vowed to appoint a special counsel to “go after” Biden and “the entire Biden crime family” on corruption charges that Trump made without evidence. At a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, Trump baselessly called on Vice President Kamala Harris to “impeach and prosecute her conduct” in connection with illegal border crossings. He has accused former President Barack Obama, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former FBI Director James Comey, and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) of treason (though there is no evidence of the allegation). President Trump said he would fire Jack Smith, the federal prosecutor who led the case against him on charges of election interference and document manipulation, and Bragg, who led the grand jury that brought the first criminal charges against a former president. “He should be fired,” he said. He should be prosecuted or at least resign. ” President Trump threatened Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg with “life in prison” if he engages in “illegal activity” related to the election and published negative articles about him. He said he may instruct the Justice Department to conduct a criminal investigation against Google for promoting it. Other potential targets of retaliation include President Trump’s former chief of staff, John Kelly. Mr. Kelly said he fits the definition of a “fascist” and prefers a “dictator approach” to leadership. Barr vouched for the strength of the charges against Trump, comparing him to a “rebellious 9-year-old.” Former lawyer Ty Cobb has publicly stated that Trump “espouses nothing but pure ambition.” Gen. Mark A. Milley, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called the former president “a fascist through and through.” Before Tuesday’s election, President Trump threatened to prosecute lawyers, donors, voters and election officials if they were found to have participated in “unconscionable conduct” related to the election. President Trump also said he wants to work with Congress to impose mandatory prison sentences for those who desecrate the American flag in response to pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses.
important quotes
“I’m appointing a real special counsel to go after the most corrupt president in American history, Joe Biden, and the entire Biden crime family,” President Trump said after his arraignment in Miami in June. “I will completely eliminate the deep state.”
Main background
Prosecuting political opponents is a hallmark of authoritarian regimes, and the president’s imposition of control over the Justice Department would be a major shift from decades-long practice of maintaining the agency’s independence. The Justice Department has been largely independent of the White House since a series of major reforms after President Richard Nixon resigned in 1974, but that could change in President Trump’s second term. Two of Mr. Trump’s allies, Jeffrey Clark and Russell Vought of the right-wing Center for American Renewal, said the Justice Department was treated no differently than any other cabinet position and that the president could lead individual investigations. The New York newspaper reported that efforts are being made to establish it. The Times reported. Clark was a central figure in the investigation into one of Trump’s 2020 election interference scandals and is likely to be appointed to the Justice Department if Trump wins. “Conservatives are waking up to the fact that federal law enforcement is being weaponized against them and, as a result, are adopting paradigm-shifting policies to reverse that trend,” Vought said in a statement to the Times. ” President Trump said in an April interview that he was willing to fire federal prosecutors who refused his orders to prosecute someone.
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