Author blasts Republicans: 'Jonesing for the next hit off of Trump’s white supremacist base'

12 June 2023

Author and justice correspondent for The Nation Elie Mystal tore into Republicans on Monday for doubling down on their servility to twice-indicted former President Donald Trump.

"The entire Republican party continues to debase itself in service of Donald Trump and in service of that white supremacist base that Kari Lake is talking to, right? Like as you point out, Amy, in a normal party, when one of your rivals is indicted on thirty-seven counts of espionage, the rest of the field is like, 'hmm, maybe you should elect me and not the guy who just got indicted,'" Mystal said to Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman.

Although Trump was not charged with "espionage," United States Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith's complaint does allege that Trump perpetrated thirty-one violations of the Espionage Act.

"But in the modern Republican party, they're all theming, right?" Mystal continued. "They're all like, jonesing for the next hit off of Trump's white supremacist base. And so they can't risk saying mean things about Trump, even though he's just been indicted. They have to instead placate Trump even as they purport to be running against him."

Mystal also contemplated what potential impact the GOP's sycophancy could have on holding Trump accountable.

"It is pathetic on their part," Mystal added, "but the debasement of one of the two major political parties in the country is an ongoing problem because as you start to kind of work through the kind of practical realities now — not just of indicting Trump, but bringing him to trial and potentially convicting him — that becomes really hard to do if during the course of this process, he is crowned the Republican standard bearer for the 2024 presidential election."

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