Revenge Served Hot

Donald’s plans for vengeance

Not an exaggeration. [Photo credit: DAVID RAMOS/GETTY IMAGES]

The New York Times published an article last week called, “How Trump Could Punish His Enemies.” I think it’s worth pausing for a minute to acknowledge how extraordinary, how outside the realm of politics-as-usual and the morally acceptable that is; how unconscionable it is that we have descended so far that we even have to have this conversation. As mightily as corporate media have tried to normalize—and to a troubling degree have succeeded in normalizing—Donald’s worst behavior, this is light years away from normal.

This isn’t some theoretical worst-case scenario we’re gaming out. Donald Trump’s second term, if we are self-destructive enough to grant him one, will be focused on revenge—against his perceived political enemies, foreign and domestic; against groups, like immigrants, that it serves his purposes to scapegoat; against judges and juries that dared hold him accountable; against anybody who has not proven to be sufficiently loyal; and, of course, against anybody who has opposed him from the beginning.

The prospect that such people will end up being prosecuted, imprisoned, or deported is very real. Unfortunately, the seriousness of his intentions is undermined by just how insane and unbelievable they seem to many people. But if there’s one person on this planet who doesn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt, it’s Donald—if given the power, he will have his vengeance.

Although The New York Times has repeatedly failed to convey the threat posed by my uncle over the last nine years, in this piece, the reporters lay out, clearly and convincingly, the ways in which he will make his enemies pay. Using simple graphics, the Times shows that Donald

could order the Justice Department to open a fresh investigation into a Trump critic or revive claims his allies have so far failed to substantiate, including accusations of corruption against Joe Biden that predate his presidency. It has become commonplace for Donald Trump to talk about how he will use the Justice Department to punish his enemies should he regain the presidency. He routinely calls for prosecuting his current opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, and regularly accuses her and President Biden of weaponizing the Justice Department against him.

It will start with Donald and his inner circle firing non-partisan civil servants and hiring in their stead people who will pledge their loyalty to him, not the Constitution or the United States. Proven loyalists and sycophants will be appointed to key positions throughout the federal government, from the FBI Director to the 93 U.S. attorneys and assistant attorneys general “who help enforce federal law, an expanse that encompasses I.R.S. tax rules, Treasury Department sanctions against oligarchs and governments, antitrust cases and air and water regulations from the E.P.A.”

We saw how bad things got during the Trump administration when there were guardrails in place—this time, there will be no guardrails at all. And now the corrupt illegitimate super-majority of the Supreme Court has ruled that a president cannot be prosecuted for anything that is considered an official duty. As part of that ruling, the Court also said that all communications between a president and the Justice Department are privileged. There would literally be nothing to constrain him.

“Once Trump has loyalists in key positions, they could begin taking actions that the other branches of government could not initially stop. The executive [branch] is fast. The judiciary is slow. And Congress does not have a direct role to play in criminal cases.”

The only potential way these investigations into Donald’s enemies would be if one of his vetted loyalists decides to do the right thing, the odds of which are slim to none. Their options would include resigning, leaking to the press, or notifying Congress.

Let’s pretend for the sake of argument that one of them had a conscience and took one of these options. What difference would it make? We learned during Donald’s first term that nothing, not even impeachment, served as a deterrent.

The judiciary will also be overwhelmed by Donald’s sycophants and enablers. We’ve already seen the enormous amount of damage that can be done by judges like Donald’s personal pocket judge, Aileen Cannon, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the aforementioned corrupt illegitimate super-majority on the Supreme Court.

“A judge who is sympathetic to Trump could grant requests from prosecutors for search warrants, which other judges might reject, or deny requests from defense lawyers to exclude questionable evidence. Such a judge could make a weak case appear stronger and then allow it to go to trial.”

We have know that this Supreme Court is more than willing to do Donald’s bidding. We can only imagine how emboldened the Court that overturned Roe v. Wade would be if he were to be granted a second term.

Donald Trump is a fascist and he and the Republican Party have put this country on a path towards fascism. If he gets back into power, he will care nothing about governing. All of his energy will be dedicated to grifting and revenge. And most of us aren’t prepared.