Political commentator Philip Rotner wrote in conservative site The Bulwark that President Donald Trump’s claim that he was a victim of lawfare is wildly inflated — even as his Department of Justice is prosecuting his own political opponents.
“Faced with the impossible task of defending the indefensible conduct of their Dear Leader, the GOP has adopted a so-called 'karma defense': What goes around comes around. They did it to Trump, the argument goes, now he’s just doing it back to them."
Rotner pointed out that Republicans have so far been quiet about a Trump directing his Justice Department to indict three of his political adversaries, and have additionally had little to say about him directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to target other political opponents. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), former Special Counsel Jack Smith, former Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis are also in the administration's crosshairs.
He further argued that despite Trump's brazenly vindictive, Republicans justify it and look for ways to blame Democrats by suggesting they brought it on themselves.
Rotner referenced arguments by right-wing radio host Erick Erickson (“Two wrongs do not make a right, but Democrats did start this”), National Review writer Dan McLaughlin (Trump’s lawsuits are the “predictable” “consequences” of “the Biden-era lawfare campaign against Donald Trump”) — even a Washington Post editorial (“Many Democrats still cannot see how their legal aggression against Trump … set the stage for [his] dangerous revenge tour”).
But Rotner said the GOP’s retributive karma defense is not only morally repugnant, but also “premised on lies.”
“Trump was no victim of the legal system,” Rotner said. “To the contrary, in the cases brought against him by Special Counsel Jack Smith, … Trump benefited from notably lenient treatment by prosecutors, the courts, or both. Both the Florida classified documents indictment and the D.C. election-subversion indictment are replete with detailed allegations of corrupt, lawless behavior, much of which was never disputed.”
Rotner also questioned Trump supporters claiming former President Joe Biden’s DOJ attacked pro-life activists, parents at school board meetings and conservative advocacy organizations.
“They are tortured, misleading mischaracterizations of routine investigative conduct at best, outright lies at worst,” said Rotner.
“There is really no other way to put it: The GOP’s tit-for-tat karma defense is not only morally appalling but also an artifice built on lies,” said Rotner. “And even if some of it were true — which it isn’t — it would not justify, excuse, or mitigate ... real weaponization currently taking place at Trump’s explicit direction.”
Read the Bulwark report at this link.