Prosecutorial abuse isn’t just limited to Trump, but there is a silver lining

The criminal indictment of former President Donald Trump is not only a targeted fraud, but an unprecedented miscarriage of justice that should terrorize all Americans. This marks the dangerous next stage in the increasingly politicized prosecutor’s office that has too often made justice malleable and elusive. Over the past few years, weaponizing the justice system has become a destructive game played every day in courts across the country, and it needs to stop.

For decades, legislators have poured power into prosecutors. At the same time, we have shaved accountability and transparency, relying more and more on mere trust that the political DA will do the right thing. Outwardly, we can see that prosecutors are willing to do what many of us know is a growing trend.. Nothing captures this better than the DA using its power to target political opponents.

Trump was indicted by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office as part of an investigation into allegations of hush-money payments. The indictment was likely cleverly pieced together to elevate the misdemeanor of tampering with business records to the felony of campaign finance violations. By the fact that multiple offices have already refused to prosecute the underlying allegations, this is a stretch of legal interpretation.

The Southern District of New York dismissed the case in 2019, and the Federal Election Commission found insufficient evidence in its investigation in 2021. Miraculously, a politician who publicly declared that he had voted against Trump both times would have sufficient legal savvy to sustain an indictment.

Trump pleads not guilty to 34 counts of falsification of business records related to hush money payments in 2016

Prosecutors serve as the gatekeepers of the justice system, deciding who enters and who leaves unscathed. As we now see, the one check against this incredible authority, a grand jury, is rarely a hurdle. Rather, Trump’s indictments are, on some level, actually pretty ordinary and sadly unremarkable. , many have been prosecuted on questionable evidence.

When politics influence prosecutorial discretion, no American is safe.

But in many cities the question is not who is prosecuted, but who is not. Rogue prosecutors defy the rule of law, violate their oaths of office, and jeopardize prosecutorial ethics. This contrasts particularly jarringly with the undoubtedly significant amount of time, energy, and resources that the Manhattan Attorney’s Office has devoted to the case against Trump.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that “weaponizing the legal system to advance the political agenda is upending the rule of law.” He was referring to Trump’s indictments, but he could have briefly discussed those rogue prosecutors as well. The politicization of the prosecution must end, whether it is creating unnecessary defendants or unnecessary victims.

Consider the case of Georgia, where prosecutors may have objectively and appropriately investigated Trump’s phone calls to determine whether they amounted to election interference. But by targeting lawyers who represent clients, weaponizing and politicizing their efforts, blatant abuse stands out.

Unfortunately the prosecutor Abuse has proven to be a problem for both federal and state prosecutors. For example, the Justice Department under the Biden administration has significantly stepped up its prosecution of life support activists under an executive order. face act At the same time, it largely ignored vandalism at pregnancy centers and threats to the U.S. Supreme Court resulting from Dobbs’ ruling.

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At the local level, Patricia, Mark McCloskey and Kyle Rittenhouse were tried in a court of liberal opinion long before their criminal cases were heard. Of course, the heavy-handed response to those protesting the murder of George Floyd shows that it’s not just a progressive issue. plug.

One of the little silver linings in all of this is that after the charges are sealed, the rest of this case must be exposed to the public eye. Americans can see for themselves how prosecutors can twist the justice system to their ends, political or otherwise. Obedience (whose actions are virtually unreviewable) may personally isolate DA Bragg, but what stops Americans from demanding changes to the justice system itself to prevent future abuse? Nor.

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Make this case a clear call to curb the weaponization and politicization of the judicial system, not just against Trump, but to protect every American who, for one reason or another, finds himself under prosecutorial hostility. will do.

Protesters outside the courthouse where President Trump was arraigned on April 4. (Fox News Digital)

Mr. Trump’s indictment, of course, has shaken the confidence of many in our judicial system, and the resulting cost to our nation is immeasurable. Using prosecution to defeat political rivals not only undermines the criminal justice system, it threatens the liberties and liberties of all Americans. The Trump case is unprecedented, but the politicization of the prosecution is not. Efforts to stop this may start with Trump, but it shouldn’t end there.

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