Op-ed by Elad Hakim | Photo: Alamy
President Donald J. Trump is the leading Republican candidate for president. He is obliterating all Republican contenders and is beating Joe Biden. He is also currently engaged in the biggest and most important fight of his life. Alarmingly, while he did not pick this fight, it will be up to him and the American people to win it. The stakes could not be any higher. A loss would mean the end of America as we know it.
Democrats in pursuit of Trump
By now, most Americans understand that Joe Biden, Attorney General Merrick Garland, Special Counsel Jack Smith, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, other left-wing prosecutors, and the Department of Justice have weaponized the justice system against Trump by way of various indictments. Tangentially, these is a concerted effort in various states to remove Trump from the ballot pursuant to the Fourteenth Amendment.
The indictments attempt to criminalize such things as a president’s retention of various documents, making certain telephone calls or sending text messages, rightfully challenging the results of an election, engaging in various types of protected speech, allegedly falsifying business records to conceal damaging information in New York, and other conduct that, as many legal scholars have noted, is either not criminal in nature, not a felony, or should not have been pursued whatsoever.
Despite the glaringly obvious motivation behind these indictments and the ongoing disqualification efforts, some anti-Trumpers have called for Trump to withdraw from the race, arguing that, by staying in the race, Trump is guaranteeing Biden’s reelection and jeopardizing Republicans’ chances in both the House and Senate.
These arguments show weakness and naivete and entirely miss the mark.
If Trump doesn’t push back, the resulting precedent could be disastrous
If Trump dropped out (like some foolishly suggest), two things could happen. First, prosecutors could decide to drop all charges or suits to disqualify Trump, though seemingly unlikely given the personal animus some of them have against Trump. However, even if these cases were dropped, Democrats would know that such measures, no matter how frivolous, could successfully be utilized to remove their political opponents.
The second and more likely scenario would be that prosecutors would continue to pursue the various charges and suits even if Trump dropped out of the race (the disqualification efforts could be moot at that point). If successful, these indictments would open the door to criminalizing conduct that is presumably legal and often constitutionally or legally protected by “creating” crimes and pursuing criminal charges in jurisdictions where a favorable result is most likely.
The resulting precedent would impact all Americans. For example, voters or members of Congress would not dare speak out if the results of a future election seem dubious for fear of prosecution. If any of the indictments succeed, what type of conduct or speech would be appropriate to challenge the result of an election? What could state legislatures do to challenge such results? What could lawyers say or do to represent their clients in such cases, and will the attorney-client relationship still mean anything if left-wing prosecutors seek to destroy it when it fits their narrative? These are real issues that Americans will face with trepidation if Trump does not fight back!
If successful, the push to disqualify Trump could also lead to a dangerous precedent on another front. Specifically, if one or more individuals can disqualify a presidential candidate from appearing on the ballot, the risk of politicizing and abusing this immense power could be virtually unchecked. While there are many strong arguments why such efforts should fail, the dangers posed by those pursuing this avenue cannot be overstated. Given the tremendous risk posed by these efforts, Trump cannot sit idly by but must fight back using all legal and constitutionally permitted methods.
These methods will be applied to any Republican
The precedent posed by the Democrats’ anti-American and politicized efforts is just the beginning of their battle. Some anti-Trumpers are under the mistaken impression that the Democrats’ effort to destroy Trump is a one and done type of deal. Some believe that Trump brought this on himself, that he deserves this, or that these efforts will stop once Trump is out of the picture.
Those who share this sentiment are living in a utopian world that is far removed from reality. On the contrary, Trump is just the first in line to what will likely be part of the Democrats’ playbook in the future. When Trump is no longer in the picture, Democrats will turn their attention to the next Republican who threatens them, their thirst for unfettered power and control, or their agenda.
As they did, and continue to do to Trump, they will create scandals (i.e., Russiagate), use the media to spread false stories, pursue novel legal theories in criminal/civil courts in liberal venues and in front of liberal judges (when possible), pursue frivolous impeachments, and ignore the Constitution when abiding by it hurts their cause. Therefore, Trump’s ongoing legal battles are not only personal in nature, but for the benefit of all Americans and to salvage, preserve, and/or reestablish the American way of life.
Trump must continue to push back to preserve America
The ongoing and unprecedented efforts to destroy Trump pose a grave threat to all Americans and the American way of life. Trump understands the stakes and knows he is the only one standing in the way of those looking to destroy America. If he does not do so, Biden and the Democrats in Congress will continue to destroy America. For example, Americans could lose various rights and freedoms, the country will likely continue to gravitate toward becoming a police state, and the Supreme Court could ultimately be packed or become an activist court (upon the retirement of some older conservative justices) promoting far-left policies.
These risks are not hypothetical or part of some fictional story but real. As Trump consistently and correctly reminds all Americans, “They’re not coming after me. They’re coming after you. I’m just standing in their way, and I always will stand in their way!”
Trump must continue to fight; in doing so, he has the support of millions of Americans.
Mr. Hakim is an attorney and columnist. His articles have been published in The Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, The Federalist, American Thinker, and other online publications. He is also a regular guest on OANN’s Tipping Point, and has appeared on Newsmax, Steadfast and Loyal Podcast with Allen West, The Dave Weinbaum Show, and Real America’s Voice. The views expressed herein are the author’s own and do not constitute legal advice.
