19 Comments
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Frank Lee's avatar

Well this is rich in either Babalon Bee level satire or else blind idiot hypocrisy.

After Trump and his supports have had to deal with eight years of government, legal and judicial power abuse against them, the fear porn here is that HE is the threat.

Frankly, I support Trump doing to the Democrats and their Republican sympathizers exactly what they did to him and his supporters except in this case base the actions on real constitutional law and precedent.

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Ollie Parks's avatar

These comments are utterly divorced from reality.

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Frank Lee's avatar

Please provide your mailing address where we can send the subpoena.

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Vladan Lausevic's avatar

Frank, first of all, what you are writing is an example of stupidity and tribalism

Second, Trump was charged and prosecuted because he broke several laws

Third, populist politicians as Trump are against constitutionalism and democracy in general

Also, why are you having Ian Bremmer's book as your profile photo since your are often writing against globalism while the book is favouring globalism ?

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Kevin O’Malley's avatar

“degrade public respect for the legal process”—the current administration already did this. This article is just another reminder of projection reflexes of the left. Interestingly, how we are told we can’t believe or trust what Trump says unless it serves the lefts narrative. I’m not a Trump fan but this article just fuels his followers and I can understand why. Please stop doing articles like this. You are not helping.

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Andrew Wurzer's avatar

I don't know how one arrives at the conclusion that one can believe what Trump says. Of course, I typically don't believe what Harris says, either, but Trump is head-and-shoulders above just about everyone when it comes to lies and bullshit.

I do agree that the article wouldn't be very persuasive to Trump Republicans. To do so, it really needs to contend with at a minimum the NY prosecution of Trump, which seems to me was a pretty baldly political prosecution.

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Kevin O’Malley's avatar

“I don't know how one arrives at the conclusion that one can believe what Trump says.”

I didn’t come to the conclusion the author did: “As he promises retribution against his enemies through the courts, should we believe him? 

Yes.”

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Andrew Wurzer's avatar

Ah, I see what you were saying. Yes, my reaction to the "should we believe him? Yes," line was how can you believe him? He'd implied he would jail or possibly even use violence against journalists during prior presidential runs. He says crazy shit all the time. I'm not happy that he says these crazy things, and we should be on our guard, but when you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras.

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Andrew Wurzer's avatar

No one should be pursuing lawfare, including Democrats. The fact that Democrats in New York already have does not make it right for Trump to do so.

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Nickerus's avatar

Sometimes on gets to thinking what planet do those that are infected with TDS inhabit?

Frank Lee says it all. One is sure Tom Ginsburg is a very nice person and believes in the veracity of his utterances. However, there are those that sincerely believe, this type of biased, hearsay article belongs in the NYT or WaPo and not on this Persuasion site along with such erudite articles as the one yesterday discussing the concept of "DEI."

However, it is great to have sites like Persuasion but when recommending it to friends, one will have to add a caveat that some of the articles appearing on Persuasion seem to be just rants and "hit pieces" on those right of the political spectrum.

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Vladan Lausevic's avatar

All texts are "biased" in one or another way. The reason you dislike "MSM" is because you want to hear what you belive in - aka confirmation bias.

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Vladan Lausevic's avatar

The difference is that Trump was charged and prosecuted because he really broke certain laws, compared to individuals he wants to use corruption and misusage of institutions against them.

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Wayne Karol's avatar

If it isn't the usual suspects with the usual gaslighting. I suppose next we'll be hearing that it was really the Democrats who threatened to hang Mike Pence.

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Andrew Wurzer's avatar

Well, if they'd just accepted the fact that the election was stolen, Republicans would never have had to suggest hanging Mike Pence. QED.

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Ollie Parks's avatar

If Trump brings politically and personally motivated prosecutions of the people he hates, his actions could foster an atmosphere of revenge and retribution by elected and appointed officials against perceived enemies at the state and local level. Worse, he could encourage citizens to take the law into their own hands.

Also, if the Republicans capture the White House and both houses of Congress, couldn't they limit the jurisdiction of the federal courts in such a way as to limit the legal recourse available to victims of Trump's legal persecutions?

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PSW's avatar

Haha, that’s already been done-by Democrats. But Trump’s going to be too busy cleaning up the disasters made by Biden /Harris.

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Tom Ginsburg's avatar

I am not sure how such a jurisdiction-stripping bill could be written to pass constitutional muster. To my knowledge, neither party has tried to do this with specific prosecutions in this country, though it does happen in other places. Not very good for rule of law, obviously.

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Vladan Lausevic's avatar

What do you mean?

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Monnina's avatar

Justice being seen to be done for moral and physical injuries committed has been the sole preserve of the wealthy and well connected in the US andUK for as long as I have been on this earthly plane. Social gradualism and moderation are always preferable to revolution as they benefit the greater number of innocents but the postwar choice to control populations rather than lead them with lazy better the devil we know cynicism and lassitude has created MAGA. It is the Frankenstein monster of crack handed and malicious social engineering and decades of tolerating bad players in high positions of power.

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