A New Frontier in Timidity for Congressional Republicans
The Trump administration wants to jail their colleagues. They don’t care.
Judge dread
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN your colleagues are targeted in an obviously political investigation to stifle their right to freedom of expression? On Capitol Hill, not much, apparently. Democrats are furious at Republicans for supporting or ignoring the Trump administration’s failed attempt (possibly the first of several) to indict six Democratic House members and senators—all military or intelligence community veterans—for making a video telling U.S. service members that they have a legal and moral duty not to follow unlawful orders.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeannine Pirro, who reportedly enlisted an inexperienced dance photographer/lawyer to prosecute the case, was unsuccessful in her attempt to convince a grand jury to indict the six Democrats.1 (Not only did she not convince the grand jury: She reportedly failed to convince even a single member there was probable cause.)
A couple of Republicans did manage to publicly speak out against the attempted indictment. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), whose journey towards retirement has coincided with his renewed interest in making occasional breaks with Republican orthodoxy, said, “Political lawfare waged by either side undermines America’s criminal justice system, which is the gold standard of the world. Thankfully in this instance, a jury saw the attempted indictments for what they really were. Political lawfare is not normal, not acceptable, and needs to stop.”
“I think our law enforcement people ought to be spending their time on making our community safe and going after real law-breakers,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, quipped to reporters.