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Why Trump's latest rhetoric about Jan. 6 pardons and committee members matters
Donald Trump's latest rhetoric about Jan. 6 pardons matters. His comments targeting House Jan. 6 committee members matter more.
https://bsky.app/profile/stevebenen.com/post/3lcus36gw3s2n
Trump has declared that he considers Jan 6 committee members to be criminals. He's also said he expects his loyalists to honor his wishes and act on his preferences.
Whether he literally directs the FBI or the DOJ to launch investigations is irrelevant.
Whether he literally directs the FBI or the DOJ to launch investigations is irrelevant.
Link to tweet
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trumps-latest-rhetoric-jan-6-pardons-targets-matters-rcna183405
But as part of the same interview, the Republican didn’t just defend Jan. 6 rioters, he also lashed out at those who investigated the assault on the Capitol. The New York Times’ report noted:
It’s important to emphasize that the president-elect, during the same “Meet the Press” appearance, said that he wouldn’t direct the Justice Department or the FBI to prosecute Jan. 6 committee members — none of whom have been credibly accused of any wrongdoing.......
On the surface, Trump was effectively arguing that he thinks the bipartisan Jan. 6 panel is filled with criminals, but he would refrain from siccing federal law enforcement on the committee’s former members. But just below the surface, there are key details that deserve attention.
First, there are ample reasons to believe the Republican will do the opposite, because his record is littered with allegations that he did, in fact, give explicit directions to prosecute his perceived political opponents.
Second, in the “Meet the Press” interview, Trump said, in reference to FBI officials, “If they think that somebody was dishonest or crooked or a corrupt politician, I think [Kash Patel] probably has an obligation to do it.” The president-elect has, of course, falsely accused Jan. 6 committee members of being dishonest, crooked and corrupt.
But perhaps most importantly, we’re dealing with a rhetorical shell game. As the Times’ Jonathan Swan summarized, “Trump is sending clear public signals to his nominees that he wants retribution, although he is then saying he will not direct them to act. But by saying that Jack Smith is ‘corrupt’ and that members of the Jan. 6 committee belong in prison, Trump is making no secret of what he wants his Justice Department to do.”
Exactly. The president-elect just told a national television audience that he believes the Jan. 6 committee was comprised of criminals. At that point, whether he literally directs the FBI or the Justice Department to launch investigations is largely irrelevant.
Trump expects loyalists to make him happy — and he just left no doubts as to what would make him happy. The message wasn’t subtle, and it was almost certainly noticed by those eager to do his bidding.
“For what they did, honestly, they should go to jail,” Mr. Trump said of [former Rep. Liz] Cheney, a Republican who represented Wyoming, and the rest of the bipartisan House committee that looked into the attack.
It’s important to emphasize that the president-elect, during the same “Meet the Press” appearance, said that he wouldn’t direct the Justice Department or the FBI to prosecute Jan. 6 committee members — none of whom have been credibly accused of any wrongdoing.......
On the surface, Trump was effectively arguing that he thinks the bipartisan Jan. 6 panel is filled with criminals, but he would refrain from siccing federal law enforcement on the committee’s former members. But just below the surface, there are key details that deserve attention.
First, there are ample reasons to believe the Republican will do the opposite, because his record is littered with allegations that he did, in fact, give explicit directions to prosecute his perceived political opponents.
Second, in the “Meet the Press” interview, Trump said, in reference to FBI officials, “If they think that somebody was dishonest or crooked or a corrupt politician, I think [Kash Patel] probably has an obligation to do it.” The president-elect has, of course, falsely accused Jan. 6 committee members of being dishonest, crooked and corrupt.
But perhaps most importantly, we’re dealing with a rhetorical shell game. As the Times’ Jonathan Swan summarized, “Trump is sending clear public signals to his nominees that he wants retribution, although he is then saying he will not direct them to act. But by saying that Jack Smith is ‘corrupt’ and that members of the Jan. 6 committee belong in prison, Trump is making no secret of what he wants his Justice Department to do.”
Exactly. The president-elect just told a national television audience that he believes the Jan. 6 committee was comprised of criminals. At that point, whether he literally directs the FBI or the Justice Department to launch investigations is largely irrelevant.
Trump expects loyalists to make him happy — and he just left no doubts as to what would make him happy. The message wasn’t subtle, and it was almost certainly noticed by those eager to do his bidding.