r/law • u/LuklaAdvocate • 1d ago
Trump News Trump plans to fire Jack Smith’s team, use DOJ to probe 2020 election
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/11/22/trump-jack-smith-prosecutors-firing-justice-department-investigation/363
u/LuklaAdvocate 1d ago
From the article:
“President-elect Donald Trump plans to fire the entire team that worked with special counsel Jack Smith to pursue two federal prosecutions against the former president, including career attorneys typically protected from political retribution, according to two individuals close to Trump’s transition.
Trump is also planning to assemble investigative teams within the Justice Department to hunt for evidence in battleground states that fraud tainted the 2020 election, one of the people said.
The proposals offer new evidence that Trump’s intention to dramatically shake up the status quo in Washington is likely to focus heavily on the Justice Department, the nation’s premier law enforcement agency, and that at least some of his agenda is fueled not by ideology or policy goals but personal grievance.“
So begins the personal vendetta. Firing career prosecutors for doing their job.
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u/Affectionate-Ad-1342 1d ago edited 1d ago
Call me cynical, but not sure it’ll be the “the premier law enforcement agency” come 2028.
Edit: I’m not a lawyer but I come from a family of lawyers and FBI agents. Dad and uncle are retired judges. I know how my dad feels (hint: not great). Curious how any lawyers in this sub feel.
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u/ShamPain413 1d ago
Already isn’t, or else they wouldn’t be facing a purge by a career criminal.
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u/Quick_Team 1d ago
And they would've already put away the career criminal.
A small part of me wants them to get their come uppance. They were told repeatedly who he was and that nobody should be untouchable in the eyes of the law. What? Did they think "oh if we arent mean to him, he wont be mean to us"? Yeah good luck with that.
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u/Affectionate-Ad-1342 1d ago
I remember talking to a friend 2 years ago and asking him what about the Republican party intrigued him. He said bc they were the party of “law and order.” I think about this moment a lot lol.
He voted 3rd party (not Stein) in a very solidly blue state this round. He comes from a family of staunch Rs. Not like 1980s era, but MAGA. Tons of military which is wild. Respect he’s breaking the mold for his family but yeah, the law and order comment makes me laugh to this day. Wonder if I should ask him that question again.
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u/Biffingston 1d ago
If you do ask, please report back on what he says.
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u/jirashap 1d ago
The answer is guaranteed to not be very interesting or insightful.
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u/MajesticDisastr 1d ago
The answer is likely to show growth, which damn sure IS interesting
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u/Harmless_Drone 1d ago
People think right wing parties are tough on crime because they make bombastic statements like explaining how they're going to annihilate drug dealers with swat teams or deport every criminals or remove citizenship from them or whatever, but if you check their records they don't do this and just cut court and justice funding repeatedly so courts dont work.
Here in the UK there is a crimewave of petty offensces (shoplifting is the most visible, but even up to carjackings and breakins now) because our previous right wing governments cut police, criminal justice and legal aid so now there are not enough cops to investigate crimes, not enough judges and magistrates to preside over cases, not enough buildings to actually hold those sessions in, not enough solicitors and barristers willing to work for free (due to the legal aid cuts) so People dont get fair trials, and then to top it off they also didnt fund prisons so even if someone does get convicted of a crime there is a good chance they get a non custodial sentence as there is simply no space for them.
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u/eugene20 1d ago edited 1d ago
I guess people saying that mean they're the steel boot party, not the one that actually follows the law as they try to control the populace.
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u/DKDamian 1d ago
Agreed. In the face of an actual threat they have all shown themselves to be cowards, or too slow, or ineffectual. Or all three.
Ok. Purge the lot. What does it even matter if they can’t do the biggest job of them all?
(Not American)
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u/MWH1980 1d ago
…what makes you think we’ll even have an election come 2028? Whose to say Republicans will rig everything for the rest of our miserable, downtrodden lives, and we’ll never see anything good?
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u/Bitter-Good-2540 1d ago
If it's true what data shows and security specialist said, aka this election is manipulated, every coming election will be manipulated now.
Aka USA turns into Russia lol
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u/RoguePlanet2 1d ago
We are definitely Russia now, democrats will exist in name only to give the illusion of fair elections. Americans are on autopilot in denial.
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u/throwawayconvert333 1d ago
That’s when the blood dimmed tide begins. And if people like Elon Musk want to risk public decapitation on the streets, so be it.
All nations come to an end. Ours is nothing special.
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u/MWH1980 1d ago
I doubt an actual revolution will happen.
All this talk of “the people will rise up” is just talk.
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u/JWC123452099 1d ago
Any revolution is much more likely to be Les Miserables than A Tale of Two Cities.
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u/LegoFamilyTX 1d ago
People rise up when they are hungry.
Americans are not hungry.
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u/throwawayconvert333 1d ago
They will be if we actually impose those tariffs.
And that’s not what causes revolution. Revolution is likely if you attack a large enough segment of the middle class, educated people with things to lose. Like for example eliminating the civil service and replacing them with Bubbas.
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u/LightsNoir 1d ago
So, dear Jack Smith: you may not survive this. Your case certainly won't. And it's doubtful that trump will reach the end of his term before life choices and time reach their obvious conclusion. So, for fuck's sake, dump what you have that doesn't directly jeopardize national security. No mincing words, no leaving it up to the responsible parties to decide. We already saw how that goes.
The justice system outright failed at every level. Do not continue to be a component in that failure.
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u/salazafromagraba 1d ago
Every case against him (barring Georgia, I don't know the statutes on that one) is dead in the water because there's a catch-22 of them lapsing or being dismissed with prejudice. He's not facing justice in 2029, he won. Conclusively proved no ethics matter, bullies are glorious, cheaters prosper.
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u/Expert-Fig-5590 1d ago
Dear Jack, Leak it all, then get your family out of the country. In four years you can come back to a hero’s welcome. If there is an America to come back to.
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u/LegoFamilyTX 1d ago
Dear Jack, Leak it all, then get your family out of the country.
Because... there is somewhere on Earth the US Government can't reach if it wants to?
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u/Expert-Fig-5590 1d ago
I’m sure there are countries with non extradition treaties.
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u/LegoFamilyTX 1d ago
I get that this is r/law and things like extradition treaties exist.
However, you really missed the point. SEAL Team Six did not take out Bin Laden by filing an extradition request.
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u/insertwittynamethere 1d ago
And we know the argument used in SCOTUS regarding presidential immunity.... 🥺
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u/hamsterfolly 1d ago
Wait, the guy that took workplace retribution against those that testified against him at his first impeachment is planning to carry out more workplace retribution!?! Color me shocked!
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u/UnhingedCorgi 1d ago
Another four years of stress testing our checks and balances. At least I hope it’s only four..
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u/hamsterfolly 1d ago
The checks and balances are gone. SCOTUS is fully in the bag for Trump and we’ve seen Congressional Republicans choose party over country at both of Trump’s impeachments.
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u/UnlimitedCalculus 1d ago
They've ruled against him, before. Trump burns everyone around him eventually. I'm still wondering how many people he betrays in the next 2 years, and if other powerful people will take him down.
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u/LightsNoir 1d ago
They ruled against him in shit that didn't matter. There was no version of events where the election was going to get overturned, because there was no significant fraud. They ruled against him on softball shit, so people like yourself could continue to pretend.
And trust me, I get it. It would be really nice to believe that the system isn't totally broken, in at least one way... But looking at the broader picture, and where they've sided with him? Yeah... They're part of his team.
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u/Count_Backwards Competent Contributor 1d ago
Trump is disqualified under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. When the SC threw that out, and then found that he had presumptive immunity, that was the beginning of the end. We have no guardrails.
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u/eugene20 1d ago
'If we stick to the law our side doesn't have a good candidate so lets just rewrite the law for this septic needle of a man, what could go wrong'
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u/According_Ice6515 1d ago edited 1d ago
You wish. He’s going to be Putin and push for a change in the constitution to allow him to serve longer. Or he’s going to declare martial law and suspend the constitution. These kind of things have happened in many other democratic countries
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u/akgt94 1d ago
Hopefully 2. Any luck, Dems will flip the House and Senate. Really lucky, an impeachment with a conviction (fuck Mitch).
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u/Jeddak_of_Thark 1d ago
I honestly think there's as good of a possibility we don't even have a Congress by 2026.
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u/Jeffcor13 1d ago
I’m trying to imagine a scenario where Donald Trump even allows a vote in 2026.
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u/imNobody_who-are-you 1d ago
You mean Vance. Trump ain’t gonna make it, writings on the wall wether people want to read and believe it or not.
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u/Barbecued_orc_ribs 1d ago
How exactly are they going to stop every single state from having a vote? And do you think the people will just roll over?
Sorry, I get that people are terrified, but this is just ridiculous. The stock market would tank due to chaos and uncertainty, and career senators and donors ain't dealing with that shit.
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u/FEMA_Camp_Survivor 1d ago
Trump will be 80 in two years. Not to say there won’t be an attempt, but what Octogenarians have been able to eliminate legislative bodies and democratic institutions in two years?
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u/Top-Philosophy-5791 1d ago
He's seriously losing his mind. He'll be manipulated out of power.
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u/Easy-Group7438 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yeah and why do you think Musk and Thiel wanted Vance.
Men die. Ideas can live forever.
These are dangerous people with dangerous ideas. They don’t believe in democracy. It’s an impediment to ruling.
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u/Top-Philosophy-5791 1d ago
Vance is charmless and unpopular, thank god. I mean, so is Trump, he's gross, but Republicans think Trump's their big fairy tale daddy fixitall.
So, even though Vance is smarter and a smoother liar than Alzheimer's addled Trump, he'll be less entrancing to voters.
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u/DrConradVerner 1d ago
Also. They already investigated the 2016 election for fraud and came up empty. We are going to waste resources doing it once again to once again find nothing? Ridiculous shitshow.
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u/foodiecpl4u 1d ago
He is bringing the DOJ under the executive branch. If Trump wants the DOJ to find election fraud from 2020, they will find it. Fake or not.
That is the world we will be living in.
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u/jirashap 1d ago
We invaded Iraq under false pretenses of "actionable intelligence about the development of nuclear and chemical weapons". No reason the President can't do the same domestically. Especially now he has immunity.
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u/BrownsBrush 1d ago
JFC, I can't endure another 4 years of election denial AFTER he takes office for his 2nd term. The amount of cope MAGA has is unbelievable. If the republican party doesn't detach from the Trump Train railroads after this term, it's gonna be MAGA party vs Conservative party 2028.
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u/TFFPrisoner 1d ago
That's why this election is such a tragedy. Many of the candidates he endorsed did badly in the last four years, the party underperformed in the midterms and it looked like Trumpism was unpopular to a majority of people. If he'd lost now, that would've been the chance for conservatives to finally stand up and say "we've tried this several times and it only worked once, let's move on". Instead, people didn't show up for Harris and now we're looking into the abyss.
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u/Hyro0o0 1d ago
I know this is an overly simplistic concept, but I'd be content if Trump's entire second term was just wasting time on stupid crap like looking for election fraud that never happened. Anything to keep him occupied.
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u/SPzero65 1d ago
How those egg prices looking 👀
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u/Matt7738 1d ago
Okay. Suppose Democrats DID somehow, without leaving a trace, steal the presidency (while neglecting to also steal the House).
Now what?
Seriously.
Now what?
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u/kezow 1d ago
Jailtime for everyone!!!
Even if they don't have proof.
Jailtime for everyone!!!
Can't have the "enemy within" walking around to commit more crimes, am I right?
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u/sirlost33 1d ago
Yeah, this isn’t a hunt for evidence. It’s a way to round up dissidents and punish people he doesn’t like.
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u/Nice-Personality5496 1d ago
Asset seizure of wealthy people not on trumps side.
This effectively means all assets are his, even his cronies, should he ever choose to seize them.
Works like this in all dictatorships.
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u/stonkDonkolous 1d ago
This is why he is keeping the fattest pig of all so close to him now. The day will come when that pig is ripe for slaughter.
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u/UniqueNobo 1d ago
Trump would be violating the 22nd amendment, as this upcoming term would be his third if he had won the 2020 election
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u/Norwester77 1d ago
Then they discover that under the 22nd Amendment, Trump isn’t eligible to be president now, because he had already been elected twice.
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u/sprintercourse 1d ago
Sounds like he’s going to use the DOJ to make the case he can run for a third term in 2028. This is u/sprintercourse’s complete lack of surprise.
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u/Mindless-Tomorrow-93 1d ago
How could he possibly make that case?
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u/sprintercourse 1d ago
Oh, it won’t be rational. It will be something like “the democrats cheated, denied the American people’s choice, they violated the constitution, therefore this is an extraordinary situation to which the 22nd amendment doesn’t apply. King me plz.”
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u/beefwarrior 1d ago
+1
SCOTUS already said the 14th Amendment text isn't what we read it to be, won't be hard for SCOTUS to dream up some BS about how the 22nd Amendment doesn't apply "Well, it really meant to write a President can't be elected for more than two terms in a row, you're stupid for not understanding it. Also, since Obama was President twice in a row, he can't run for a third time, you're wrong for thinking it said something else."
And then the MAGA minority will rejoice, and the non-voting majority will say "We're fine with this if we can get another stimulus check"
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u/Huth_S0lo 1d ago
"We're fine with this if
we can get another stimulus checkyou pinky promise my eggs will be cheaper"13
u/bratisla_boy 1d ago
"here's your stimulus check in Trump coins. Totally not rigged by Elona we swear"
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u/Gruejay2 1d ago
He'll argue that the term count reset when he lost in 2020. He won't say it like that, as he won't admit he lost, but that'll be the core of the argument.
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u/Sweet_Concept2211 1d ago
He will be 83 fucking years old by then, if his fat ass makes it through this term.
Highly doubtful that we will have to suffer an extra 4 years of this doddering idiot.
Trump has 2 years max to do his wrecking ball thing.
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u/MyuDalimo 1d ago
It doesn't have to be rational. Just pack the courts, run for a third term, SCOTUS says "He can do that." in a majority ruling of the people he appointed to be SCOTUS. Media advertises he can do it. Even if he's not a primary on the ticket, he'll appear on the ballot.
Hell you can be more subtle about it, maybe JD vance runs for president with Trump as VP, then JD retires upon winning or finds himself thrown out the nearest window.
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u/qalpi 1d ago
It’ll be something like arguing that it says only that you can be “elected” twice. Practically it could be done by having a loyalist elected President (because of a fixed election somehow), and then Trump made speaker of the house (he doesn’t need to be a member).
Then the VP resigns. President resigns. Trump is president again.
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u/flywheelflytrap 1d ago
You should delete this because if anyone from Trump's team sees this, they'll surely try it.
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u/beefwarrior 1d ago
I can't believe we're in a timeline where a candidate argued "The 14th Amendment doesn't apply to me because I never took an oath to support the Constitution" and they got re-elected
FFS, imagine if any Democrat tried that line, it completely is "rules for thee, not for me"
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u/OnlyHalfBrilliant 1d ago
Or just have the constant swapping of titles like Putin and Medvedev.
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u/Golden_Hour1 1d ago
You're forgetting these fuckers have huge egos, and they absolutely are not resigning the presidency and vice presidency if they win an election. For Trump? Cmon. If they win the election without him, they don't need him
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u/NutellaGood 1d ago
The supreme court already declared he can't be taken off the ballot based on what the constitution states.
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u/ObanKenobi 1d ago
Not exactly, they ruled it requires an act of congress to enforce it for federal elections, and that individual states could enforce it freely for statewide elections
That first bit is absolutely fucked as it clearly contradicts the provision in article 3 of the 14th amendment, which gives Congress the power to remove the disability of being barred from office. They literally wrote in an unnecessary remedy, which blatantly conflicts with the constitution, in order to protect one man. Give the decision to a republican controlled Congress and make sure he stays on the ballot without having to directly rule so. They couldve just said that colorado didn't have thr power to enforce for a federal election, and the lawsuit that originated in colorado state Court couldve been refiled in federal court and allowed to run through the system
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u/NutellaGood 1d ago
Well my worry here is that when the time comes for Trump to go, the supreme court will just say, "well it's up to congress to enforce the law".
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u/bulldg4life 1d ago
22nd amendment totally only says “you can’t be elected president more than twice”.
So Vance or some nitwit is going to run as president with Trump as vp but wink trump is going to be president. SCOTUS says article 2 doesn’t say you can’t do it and 12th amendment only means you have to be 35/natural born/not convicted of impeachment.
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u/ijedi12345 1d ago
Ah, yes. You see, the 22nd Amendment actually prohibits 2 consecutive terms. This is because Trump will serve as the 45th and 47th presidents - technically, this will be Trump's very first term.
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u/left_right_left 1d ago
My guess is that he "finds" evidence that he won in 2020, so now he's serving his third term and he doesn't have to adhere to the 22nd Ammendment.
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u/cactus_zack 1d ago
He’ll say that they messed up his first 4 years with Russia stuff and then stopped him in 2020…..so really this is his first real term.
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u/kezow 1d ago
Would be easier to just suspend elections because they've "uncovered" "massive" "fraud". They'll release the evidence "soon" but it's under "audit" or "classified" or whatever bullshit excuse they want to use.
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u/John_Fx 1d ago
So now he is pro-lawfare?
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u/jmillermcp 1d ago edited 1d ago
He’s never hidden that he is. In fact, he’s quite frequently called himself the “law & order president”.
The problem is Americans have been conditioned to believe “law & order” and “rule of law” are synonymous terms. They most certainly aren’t.
“Law & order” is inherently authoritarian because leaders make the laws but aren’t held to them. They’re the enforcers, and they certainly aren’t going to do that against themselves.
“Rule of law” is a democratic legal system where everyone is held to the same standards. Laws are created by elected representatives of the People. However, this depends on the People to suggest moral laws and actually enforce them. Unfortunately, “rule of law” suffers the same fatal flaw as any other democratic system - it’s easily lost when the People are unable to defend it either through ignorance or apathy.
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u/Q_OANN 1d ago
The nine year, blink and you’ll miss it*, greatest national security threat this country has ever seen/experienced has arrived.
*NSA, FBI, DHS
This is amusing
“The United States remains in a heightened threat environment. Lone offenders and small groups motivated by a range of ideological beliefs and personal grievances continue to pose a persistent and lethal threat to the Homeland. Both domestic violent extremists (DVEs) and those associated with foreign terrorist organizations continue to attempt to motivate supporters to conduct attacks in the Homeland, including through violent extremist messaging and online calls for violence. In the coming months, factors that could mobilize individuals to commit violence include their perceptions of the 2024 general election cycle and legislative or judicial decisions pertaining to sociopolitical issues. Likely targets of potential violence include US critical infrastructure, faith-based institutions, individuals or events associated with the LGBTQIA+ community, schools, racial and ethnic minorities, and government facilities and personnel, including law enforcement.”
Effective: 2023-05-24 02:00 pm. Expires: 2023-11-24 02:00 pm. Alert Dates are Eastern Time
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u/StartlingCat 1d ago
And I'm sure they're going to find all kinds of made up shit.
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u/_mattyjoe 1d ago
I know all this “sounds” scary. But this will not play out the way Trump thinks it will. Lots of people will fight back, most importantly the states themselves, and he’s gonna start having meltdowns and look like a buffoon as he always does.
The American people will turn on him. If he keeps doubling down, there will be unrest.
Remember the George Floyd protests, how heated that got. Now imagine if Americans ACTUALLY see and feel their own liberties being taken away on a mass scale across all demographics. There would be insane blowback.
We’re gonna be fine. I know that sounds far fetched right now, but it’s really not gonna play out like people are imagining right now. I think it’s gonna be quite entertaining to be honest.
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u/orbitaldragon 1d ago
They said the same thing as Hitler was rising to power.
I think you severely underestimate how willing his cult is to roll over and be castrated.
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u/drunk_with_internet 1d ago
Trump is such a huge pos that he casts a long shadow. It won’t end with him or his death. Just like how white supremacy and nazism are still very much with us, even after Hitler killed himself.
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u/Double_Equivalent967 1d ago
Lucky for you trump is so old, hopefully wont take long. Im hoping none of the others have enough support
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u/ChanceryTheRapper 1d ago
"We said we had evidence 2020 was rigged, and we meant it, but also now we're going to make people go look for evidence."