Now 11 months into his second presidency, Donald Trump continues to use the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) as a tool of retaliation against his political foes — including New York State Attorney General Letitia James, former FBI Director James Comey, and ex-National Security Director John Bolton. U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie, on November 24, threw out federal charges against James and Comey, but the Trump DOJ has tried to reindict James — so far, without success.
While James is a Democrat, Bolton is a neocon and a longtime Republican — which demonstrates that Trump and his allies aren't shy about attacking conservatives. Many of the Trump Administration's targets, however, are on the left. And in an article published on December 21, Salon's Heather Digby Party warns that Trump will likely expand his attacks on the left in the months to come.
"As Reuters reported in October," Parton explains, "White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller is spearheading a program to defund left-leaning organizations such as Democratic donor George Soros' Open Society Foundations; ActBlue, the funding arm of the Democratic Party; Indivisible; and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights by claiming they are funding domestic violence."
Parton adds, "When pressed for examples, the White House 'highlighted seven political protests in 2023 and 2025 that included acts of violence directed against law enforcement officials, and two incidents of vandalism at Tesla dealerships this year as well as half a dozen social media posts celebrating the damage.'"
Parton notes that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered an investigation of "anti-Americanism," "anti-capitalism," "anti-Christianity," and "opposition to law and immigration enforcement" as well as "radical gender ideology" and "hostility towards traditional views on family, religion, and morality" — which, the Salon journalist warns, "are elastic-enough terms" that "could cover at least half the population."
"In the past, when the government embarked on one of these paranoid campaigns," Parton explains, "public pressure managed to put an end to it once the agenda became clear. When you combine this latest plan with the (Trump) Administration's violent crackdown on immigrants, the nation is about to be overwhelmed by scenes of mayhem and cruelty at the hands of federal agents."
Parton adds, "Will the people step up to stop this next chapter in domestic political repression? If past is prologue, it will happen. Unfortunately, as always, there will be a whole lot of carnage left in its wake."
Heather Digby Parton's full article for Salon is available at this link.
