A Tin Horn Dictator Corrupts Justice

 

If anyone out there was undecided on whether Trump is operationalizing a precise, coordinated plan to destroy our democracy so he can rule until he dies, the move to shut down ActBlue, the primary way Democrats’ campaigns are funded, should be the final proof point.

--Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.)

The tool

So Trump did a new ExecOrder addressed directly to Blonde Avenger Pam Bondi -- the Department of Justice is now clearly an important arm for retribution (or just plain ole persecution). Trump ordered the DOJ to investigate ActBlue, the fund-raising platform that practically every Democratic candidate uses to raise campaign cash. Now, when Bondi takes the first step in complying with Trump's desires -- which she's undoubtedly already done -- this is not the pursuit of justice. This is using government to harass and intimidate political enemies.

ActBlue was founded in 2004. According to Wikipedia,

Both the 2016 and 2020 Democratic presidential nominees, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, used ActBlue during their primary and general election campaigns. Bernie Sanders' 2016 and 2020 primary campaigns also used ActBlue for fundraising. Sanders' use of ActBlue was particularly notable as it represented the first time a major Democratic presidential candidate eschewed money from super PACs in favor of grassroots fundraising. This strategy would later be replicated by other Democratic political figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.If Pam Bondi does not only what Trump ordered, but also what Trump wants from an investigation of Act Blue, then we truly have arrived at a tyrant's picnic.

The cautious language of reporter Maggie Haberman et al.:

The Republican scrutiny of ActBlue has focused on claims — thus far unsubstantiated — that it allows straw and foreign donations. Federal election law bars straw donations [made in someone else's name], and it prohibits foreign citizens without permanent residency from donating directly to federal political candidates or political action committees.

A joint statement from the DNC, the DSCC, and the DCCC stated that Trump’s ExecOrder was “designed to undermine democratic participation .... He’s trying to block lawful grass-roots donations from supporters giving just $5 or $10 to candidates who oppose him while further empowering the corrupt billionaires who already control his administration.”

You see why Trump set out early to discredit and/or silence the judiciary. He's becoming invincible, he thinks. He can't be criminally charged for anything (thank you, John Roberts), and he has the entire mechanism of official prosecution at his beck and call. Good God Almighty! The midterms can't come fast enough.