The question if Donald Trump would attempt to prosecute his perceived political enemies in a second term has already been answered. As we’ve discussed, the former president has not only publicly acknowledged his intentions in multiple interviews, he also has a track record of having made such attempts before.
What this realization raises are related questions about which enemies he will target and how he plans to deal with them. Against this backdrop, The New York Times reported:
Of particular note was a post amplifying the former president, in which he claimed that former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney “is guilty of treason.” The post — which someone else had drafted, but which Trump promoted — encouraged other users of Trump’s social media platform to help spread the word “if you want televised military tribunals.”
As the Times report added, military courts are a type of military tribunal “reserved for enemy combatants and war criminals.”
Donald Trump reposted an image describing Liz Cheney as “guilty of treason” and calling for her to be prosecuted in “televised military tribunals.” photo.twitter.com/WJBqM5W4Fv
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) June 30, 2024
The presumptive GOP nominee’s political operation had a chance to clarify matters and perhaps even walk back the messages. Instead, a Trump campaign spokesman told the Times, “Liz Cheney and the Jan. 6 sham committee banished key witnesses, shielded important evidence and destroyed documents.”
Or, put another way, when asked why the former president amplified a message accusing the former chairman of the House Republican Conference of “treason,” Trump’s team doubled down on its condemnation of the former congresswoman.
There is no shortage of problems here.
First, the January 6 bipartisan commission was not in fact a “sham”; it did not bar witnesses; it did not block evidence; and it did not destroy evidence.
Second, the idea that Trump would favor “military tribunals” for his political critics is as troubling as it sounds.
And third, it’s never been entirely clear whether Trump knows what “treason” means, though there’s little doubt that he likes to use the word casually — far more than he should.
The former president has accused Barack Obama of treason. And Nancy Pelosi. And James Comey. He has also looked into treason investigations into Adam Schiff, The New York Times, Google and federal law enforcement officials. At one point, after one of his State of the Union addresses, Trump even suggested that congressional Democrats might have committed “treason” for not applauding to his satisfaction.
As the Republican seeks a second term, his list of “treason” charges continues to grow.
This could, and likely will, get ugly fast. Axios reported overnight that if rewarded with a second term, Trump “plans to immediately test the limits of presidential and governmental power.” The article went on to note that the Republican “promises a brazenly imperialistic presidency — one that would turn the Justice Department against critics.”
Not worrying means closing your eyes.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
