Although still very early to make conclusions about the final outcome, Donald Trump, the likely Republican presidential candidate, leads President Joe Biden in the presidential race including in some key swing states that seem to be the most important in the presidential election. Winning the presidency could potentially shield Trump from ongoing legal proceedings as he accuses Joe Biden of exploiting political influence and resources in the legal actions against him.
The threats
For several months, Trump has been issuing threats against everyone involved in the legal actions against him, including judges, prosecutors, and even some of his former closest aides from his tenure in the White House. However, what Trump surely won’t forget are the members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Last month, Trump proposed on social media that the committee members should be jailed. In December, he promised to act as a dictator from “day one” of regaining power, and in August, he claimed he would “have no choice” but to incarcerate his political adversaries.
Things getting complicated
With a slight lead over Biden as the November election approaches, things are becoming increasingly complicated for Trump “opponents”. Trump is likely to secure the Republican nomination and his criminal trials possibly being delayed for after the election day, coupled with his increasingly authoritarian rhetoric, those targeted by his threats are taking his words seriously.
California Rep. Adam Schiff already thinking about his next steps
Representative Adam Schiff of California, a long-standing critic of Trump, has expressed concerns for his safety in light of Trump’s threats. Schiff is actively discussing protective measures with his staff, emphasizing the importance of taking Trump’s authoritarian ambitions seriously. “We’re taking this seriously, because we have to,” Schiff recently said. “We’ve seen this movie before … and how perilous it is to ignore what someone is saying when they say they want to be a dictator.”
“I’m fearful that the Supreme Court is deliberately slow-walking this,” Schiff said in an interview, arguing that the court should not have considered the issue of presidential immunity, especially after both trial Judge Tanya Chutkan and the appeals courts had determined that it was not applicable in this instance. “The claim is borderline frivolous … they’re drawing it out just enough to make it almost infeasible to try [the cases] before the election,” Schiff said. “It’s still possible to get it done,” he added. “And I think voters deserve to have that information.”
DOJ to blame for slow investigation
Schiff and his fellow committee members have critiqued the Justice Department for not promptly addressing Trump’s involvement, noting that the committee quickly shifted its focus to Trump and the strategy to challenge the electoral outcome by having Vice President Mike Pence dismiss the electors from certain states, thus preventing Biden from securing the presidency. Schiff pointed out the unusual situation where Congress was significantly more proactive than the Justice Department, emphasizing that there was no justification for such a delay given the typically slow pace of Congressional actions. He suggested that although the Justice Department might have aimed to protect its autonomy and avoid controversy, this approach ultimately postponed the accountability process by approximately a year to a year and a half, implying that the matter could have been resolved by now.
The case
The bipartisan January 6 select committee, of which Schiff was a member, conducted an extensive investigation into the attack that resulted in the deaths of five individuals and injuries to over 150 law enforcement officers, following the storming of the Capitol by Trump’s supporters during the certification of Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 election. The committee’s high-profile televised hearings and its comprehensive 845-page report established the view that Trump was aware he had lost the election but nonetheless engaged in efforts to remain in office.
This investigation was anticipated to align with a Justice Department probe led by Special Counsel Jack Smith, which was expected to legally affirm the committee’s findings and possibly lead to a criminal indictment of Trump for his attempts to overturn the election outcome. However, this legal process has encountered significant delays.
