If re-elected as president, Donald Trump reportedly plans to use civil rights laws to prosecute several of his Democratic opponents from New York, including Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg and Attorney General Letitia James.
Allies like Steve Bannon argue Trump could rely on equal protection and search/seizure laws, plus conspiracy statutes, to retaliate for probes he faced.
“Of course [Bragg] should be — and will be — jailed,” Bannon said.
Bragg oversaw Trump’s hush money prosecution.
Trump has also threatened charges against President Biden.
“APPOINT A REAL SPECIAL ‘PROSECUTOR’ TO GO AFTER THE MOST CORRUPT PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE USA, JOE BIDEN,” Trump wrote online.
Allies expect Trump would carefully choose an attorney general to direct the DOJ to follow his commands, as he believes putting the right person in that role could unlock substantial power.
“If you get the right person, it’s like magic,” Trump said. “It’s like in real estate: You know, you put a good super in a building, the building runs well. You put a bad one in, it doesn’t. It’s the same thing [on] a little bit — slightly larger scale,” Trump explained.
Some House Republicans are trying to defund prosecutors like special counsel Jack Smith and Fani Willis who are pursuing Trump-related cases, as the former president and allies continue attacking perceived political opponents through legal means if given power.