Trump and the Assault on Freedom and the Law
The concepts of freedom, liberty, rights, and morality are sacrosanct to Americans. Conversely, the thought of tyranny, authoritarianism, corruption, and discrimination is abhorrent to American sensibilities.
Imagine living in a country where there are political or financial repercussions from high-level government officials for expressing and pursuing different political or social goals.
September 21, 2020: At the direction of President Trump, the U.S. Department of Justice under Attorney General William Barr announced that three cities (New York, Seattle, Portland) were now designated as anarchy jurisdictions and threaten to withhold federal monies from these municipalities (that had been constitutionally authorized by Congress) amid political disputes, protests and riots over police shootings and brutality of Black Americans. Cities in recognized battleground states in the 2020 election (e.g., Wisconsin, Minnesota) and Republican-led states where political disputes, protests and riots had also occurred were not designated as anarchy jurisdictions apparently because Trump was vying to win those states in the election to retain Presidential power highlighting the overtly political nature of these actions.
Envision a government intentionally creating barriers for citizens to cast ballots in electing government officials.
September 2020: Trump and his campaign launch lawsuits against several states to prevent them from exercising their constitutional right to develop and conduct federal and state election processes including mail-in voting procedures.
Consider the danger of government officials protecting their colleagues and friends from legal consequences after committing crimes.
July/August 2020: Trump directed the Department of Justice to mitigate sentencing of convicted felon and Trump confidant Roger Stone and to drop charges against former Trump Administration official Michael Flynn after pleading guilty to crimes.
Think about living in a country where reporters are disparaged and intimidated for asking questions.
2016-2020: Trump consistently verbally attacked reporters that ask difficult and inconvenient questions.
Imagine living in a country where government officials use their position of power to receive personal benefits.
September 2020: Trump directed the Department of Justice to legally defend him against a personal defamation lawsuit surrounding credible allegations of rape at tax-payers expense.
Visualize being fired from your workplace for doing the right thing.
2017-2020: Trump fired and verbally attacked federal government employees for voicing concerns about unethical or illegal activities.
Ponder the impact of a high-level government official that creates doubt about their country’s democratic institutions and processes.
2020: Trump asserted that the 2020 presidential election will be riddled with massive fraud and rigged if he loses.
When Trump was President of the United States, we lived in a country where egregious acts against democratic institutions and the law were common and verbal assaults were launched against those with different political or cultural views. This is not America. This was Trump’s idea of leadership. Trump was not about law and order. His actions and words were vengeful, dangerous, and lawless. To state otherwise is the epitome of intellectual dishonesty or ignorance. No amount of tortured logic can make Trump’s actions or words lawful, honorable, or American.
Updated January 16, 2020
