The Danger of trump Threatening American Justice

It's happened before, and donald trump is doing it again.

he's attacking the judges overseeing his trials - this time going after them on his CRIMINAL trials - and he's now attacking family members he thinks are fair game. It got bad enough in the New York hush money trial that the judge overseeing that trial issued a gag order... and trump is still pushing the lines daring for escalation. It's getting to where other judges are speaking in public about the dangers trump will unleash if he keeps provoking (via Shania Shelton and Rashard Rose at CNN):

US District Judge Reggie Walton spoke with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on “The Source” in the wake of Trump’s attacks on Judge Juan Merchan, which helped prompt the New York judge to issue a gag order on the former president earlier this week. It is unusual for federal judges to speak publicly, especially about specific political or legal situations.

“It’s very disconcerting to have someone making comments about a judge, and it’s particularly problematic when those comments are in the form of a threat, especially if they’re directed at one’s family,” said Walton, who has also faced threats, as has his daughter. “We do these jobs because we’re committed to the rule of law and we believe in the rule of law, and the rule of law can only function effectively when we have judges who are prepared to carry out their duties without the threat of potential physical harm.”

“I think it’s important in order to preserve our democracy that we maintain the rule of law,” Walton said in the interview. “And the rule of law can only be maintained if we have independent judicial officers who are able to do their job and ensure that the laws are, in fact, enforced and that the laws are applied equally to everybody who appears in our courthouse.”

I've seen tweets on social media commenting on how rare it is for a sitting judge to discuss current criminal matters going before a court. This is how reckless and disrespectful trump has become.

It's been said before that trump's only legal defense is to delay. If he can't delay, he tries to defame. If that doesn't work, he sinks to the level of a Sicilian mob boss bullying the judges into giving him more leeway if not slaps on the wrist.

It's horrifying. Half of trump's social media rants are about him being "unfairly" persecuted - the word is PROSECUTED, donald, there is a distinction - and accusing the judges and the district attorneys and the legal system as a whole being corrupt and vindictive towards himself, and then tries to get his audience of MAGA worshippers to fear that they will be persecuted next.

Unless those MAGA supporters violate the federal and state tax codes and commit property and investment fraud to the tune of millions, obviously that won't happen.

trump keeps ignoring the reality that the American legal system relies on several things, such as facts and precedence. Without facts, there's nothing you can present to a judge or jury. Without precedence, the legal system won't have any measurable means to act.

trump seems to genuinely believe - or hope - that the legal system is whatever YOU deem it to be at any given moment to whatever suits the needs of yourself or those you believe are pulling the strings. he seems to think you use the legal system to punish your enemies and reward your friends.

Nevermind that when he did try to get the Justice Department under his control to pursue Obama and Hillary Clinton for what he deemed an "unfair" attack on his ties to Russia in 2016, the special counsel he sent to dig up dirt and jail his rivals couldn't prove a thing trump screamed was true.

With all that failure, trump persists in that false narrative. he HAS to: being both Hero and Victim is how he maintains his grift, how he stirs up his followers to fear and rage towards yet another constitutional norm trump needs to tear down.

We need to recognize that trump's attacks on the judges and the courts are the same attacks he leveled against the voting machines and county officials and the legitimacy of the electoral process itself back in 2020. All those acts of harassment and bullying trying to undermine the nation just so trump could "win" when he clearly didn't.

trump's bullying is just his way of tilting the game to favor him.

The courts dare not let him. trump is crossing a line going after family members, he's getting that much closer to calling on acts of violence and disruption to get his way. trump is daring the judge to revoke his bail, hold him in contempt, as though that would complete trump's martyrdom and incite MAGA riots in the streets. trump is trying to bluff his way out of criminal accountability.

I say to the courts, you have the right - nay the necessity - to enforce decorum and civility in your courtrooms. Hold trump accountable for the threats he's unleashing across the nation. Hold trump in contempt.

trump does not have a First Amendment right to threaten violence or harm on anybody anywhere.

Hold trump accountable.

And get trump in front of a jury to answer for his crimes as soon as humanly possible.

Let Justice Be Done.