The latest exhibit in Trump’s weaponization of justice is a federal grand jury has indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James on charges of bank fraud, in what is widely being interpreted as an escalation of the weaponization of the Department of Justice. Where is Rep. Jay Obernolte in all of this? Strategically tucked behind a quiet, finger-in-ear silence so deafening it could shatter glass.
Obernolte campaigned with the standard GOP playbook of law and order, equal justice under law, limits on executive overreach. He has not, to my knowledge, penned any op-eds about the normalization of political prosecutions. His silence suggests that only some people deserve defense from a runaway executive. By refusing to speak out, Obernolte implies that when this kind of retribution is aimed at Trump’s enemies, it’s acceptable. That kind of moral surrender is cowardice.
The fact that Obernolte hasn’t responded suggests either that: He genuinely doesn’t see a problem, or he sees the problem but is too scared to do anything. Neither option is remotely defensible.
Obernolte’s silence betrays his constituents. It betrays the concept of justice. And it lets down every person who believed that their representative would stand up to authoritarian drift. One day the targets of these political prosecutions might be people Obernolte agrees with. If the precedent is allowed to stand then no one is safe.
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