Donald Trump won the 2024 election, so why does he remain fixated on the people who attempted to hold him accountable for attempting to overturn the 2020 election and for fomenting the January 6 attack on the Capitol? Can’t Trump just enjoy his 2024 victory and move forward?
Donald Trump sat down with Meet the Press host Kristin Welker last Sunday to discuss the Trump administration’s plans for the future. Those plans include the immediate imposition of tariffs on several countries, the start of mass deportations of migrant-criminals, extending the 2017 Trump tax cuts, and fighting crime. He did passably well in discussing those topics. Even if you disagree with Trump’s plans, it is appropriate for a president-elect to tell America what he plans to do.
Trump, unfortunately, was asked about January 6, 2021, and the 2020 election. As Welker likely expected, Trump repeated his false claim that he won in 2020, but, disturbingly, Trump called for the jailing of all members of the House Select Committee that investigated the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol. Members of the Committee include Senator-elect Adam Schiff (D-CA), who Trump called “a lowlife,” Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-NC), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Pete Aguilar (D-CA), Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Elaine Luria (D-VA), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), and former Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY).
Trump accused the “unselect” committee with falsifying evidence and deleting recordings of interviews. In part, Trump said:
“Cheney did something that’s inexcusable, along with Thompson and the people on the un-select committee of political thugs and, you know, creeps. So, the unselect committee went through a year and a half of testimony. Wait. They deleted and destroyed all evidence of — that they found. You know why? Because Nancy Pelosi was guilty. Nancy Pelosi turned down 10,000 troops. You wouldn’t have had a J6 because other people were guilty. . .. Now, listen, this was a committee, a big deal. They lied. And what did they do? They deleted and destroyed a whole year and a half worth of testimony. Do you know that I can’t get — I think those people committed a major crime.”
Trump later told Welker that Bennie Thompson and everyone on the January 6 Committee “should go to jail.”
Importantly, throughout the Meet the Press interview, Trump was careful to avoid saying he would direct anticipated Attorney General Pam Bondi or anticipated FBI Director Kash Patel to pursue political opponents. He repeatedly expressed confidence they would “do the right thing.”
Nobody who served on the January 6 Committee committed crimes. Any effort to prosecute Committee members will fail. Nobody will be convicted, even if parts of the Committee’s final report are found to contain errors. And it is all but impossible to jail a member of Congress for anything they said or did as a member of the House of Representatives short of accepting bribes or killing someone.
Despite the likelihood of exoneration, if the Trump administration pursues criminal action against Liz Cheney and others perceived by Trump as political enemies, they will incur millions of dollars in legal fees, face years of legal proceedings, and otherwise have their lives severely disrupted. That is unfair. Filing spurious charges against Cheney and others is a form of punishment regardless of the ultimate outcome of the cases.
Last Sunday Trump announced another former member of one of his legal teams defending him in various criminal cases earlier this year, Alina Habba has been named Counselor to the President. Trump writes:
“Alina has been a tireless advocate for Justice, a fierce Defender of the Rule of Law, and an invaluable Advisor to my Campaign and Transition Team. She has been unwavering in her loyalty, and unmatched in her resolve – standing with me through numerous “trials,” battles, and countless days in Court. Few understand the Weaponization of the “Injustice” System better than Alina, who has fought relentlessly against the full force of Lawfare with courage and an unshakable commitment to Justice.”
Trump continues to evidence an obsession with retribution against legislators, judges and prosecutors who sought to hold him accountable. He is surrounding himself with officials and advisors who will pursue Liz Cheney and others even if he never personally directs such actions.
America will be ill-served if the Trump administration fulfills Trump’s promise of retribution. Such efforts will represent an abuse of power—dare I say it—for which Trump should be held accountable.
J.E. Dean writes on politics, government, and, too infrequently, other subjects. A former counsel on Capitol Hill and public affairs consultant, Dean also writes for Dean’s List on Medium and Dean’s Issues & Insights on Substack.
Judith Zinter says
I usually don’t comment on articles, but this time I seen to be responding to two of them!
Liz Cheney should be given the Congressional Metal of Freedom, not
sent to Jail!!
I believe Trump is the one who has been convicted of 34 felonies…by ordinary citizens – not a congressional committee.
John Dean says
Thank you for reading the piece and for your comment.
Laurie says
Please. I’m so tired of the projection of what the DEMS HAVE BEEN DOING for eight years to Trump and their other political opponents of any party, onto to those very people. Are we going to be subjected to TDS and obsession with everything Trump and his team do for four years? We the (majority of) People have had enough and gave the president-elect, his agency heads and Congress a mandate to clean up the massive corruption, corporate capture and inefficiency of the federal government and make it serve the people rather than the corporations and the government players themselves.
And, not to mention that the current administration could have volumes written about its retribution and abuse of power – the weaponization of agencies against their opponents and the people, political gamesmanship and wrongdoing, but nary a mention in any of these letters during the entire four years.
Every administration gets their shot at trying to right the perceived wrongs of those prior. Can we accept that and move on?
Caroline Thomas says
Please keep in mind that it was a very slim majority.
John Dean says
One correction to your comment: Trump did not win the majority of the votes. His tally was under 50%. He won the election, but there was no landslide.
And there is no mandate to “right the perceived wrongs of those prior,” whatever that means.
Also, don’t forget that the Constitution places limits on Presidential pardon. Hopefully, America does not have a king and will never have a dictator.
Paul Rybon says
Point of fact, Mr Dean, Trump got more votes than Harris. And so far, Reps are in the majority in Congress. Also point in fact he never said he was going after Cheney and the infamous committee. But he’s not afraid to use his bully pulpit. It costs us nothing. It cost us millions for the committee to bury exculpable evidence and manufacture lots of phony claims.
I was talking about the many J6 participants not yet tried, being incarcerated. With the news today that Biden set a new record for pardons I hope DT can find a way to get those not tried released.
Mickey Terrone says
Fascists in this country will not be able to bury the truth and reality and replace that with their heinous lies. American fascists repeat their lies until many gullible Americans believe them. It was the Nazi Josef Goebbels who claimed “The bigger the lie, the better”. Trump and his allies have perfected this abased fascist practice with the assistance of FOX News and numerous other media outlets. Combine that with Trump’s horrendous fear campaign about immigrants, e.g., “They’re eating the dogs…..”, and he was able to eke out a 1.5% plurality (without garnering 50% of the total vote nationwide).
It is a heinous lie that Trump’s 1.5% plurality was a mandate for a sweeping overhaul of the entire federal government and a radical collapse into oligarchy. Trump’s entire campaign and message is based upon the lie that he was unfairly or illegally “persecuted” by the US government when he was tried and conviced by NY state courts of 34 felonies, assaulting a woman and many other illegal acts over extended periods of time. There is voluminous evidence that he orchestrated the January 6th crime against the US Constitution and that he enticed a large, armed mob to carry out his attempt to overthrow the 2020 election results. That so many Americans can be so easily deceived into believing a demagogue with a long history of gross prevarications, is a sad reflection on all Americans.
Yet all this deception does not and cannot change the essential fact that Trump committed those crimes, and there isn’t nor will there be justice in this country until Trump and his congressional accomplices are tried for these crimes.
That some of you choose to ignore the criminality and support Trump’s efforts to avoid trial and justice and position him to absolve himself and those accomplices is the epitome of lawlessness. This will turn our United States of America into a fascist shithole where criminals escape prosecution because they are doing other criminals’ bidding. Do you think that is what the vast majority of the American people desire? Do you think even that small 1.5% plurality voted to turn the FBI into an American Gestapo and arrest the January 6th Committee that investigated Trump and his rioters?
I don’t think people like you can claim Trump was unfairly treated until you’ve heard the evidence in a trial. You have to be aware many rioters were convicted and many others pleaded guilty to the charges against them in the riot. I suppose a whole lot of folks won’t realize they’ve lost their voices in their democratic republic until it finally hits them that they handed their power to a fascist demagogue. That is about to happen.
Hal De Bona says
Laurie,
The use of the acronym TDS speaks volumes of just how out of touch the uses of the term are. I suggest you rest up, because we the fringe lunatic left are just getting started.
Respectfully
Deirdre LaMotte says
To me, one of the most important things that has been brought to light by this election is the total lack of critical thinking skills
and the absence of ability to think for themselves. Also, the brain rot being caused by social media.
I am sorry but the people supporting Trump and his
“cabinet” are dealing with a lobotomized brain
caused by the above and their fraud news, spewing fear and hate every minute…..
Right out of Mussolini’s playbook that Hitler copied.
Projection is all they do, if it wasn’t so horrific it would be eye rolling.
Paul Rybon says
Mr Dean fails to recognize that those accusers aren’t going away. Not only did they continue gathering or creating facts but they broadcasted them as often as the press was interested. Since that day more than a thousand miscreants AND possibly innocent’s have had their lives ruined by illegal prosecutions and harsh incarceration tactics because of the influence of that powerful committee. Many of them are being held without hearings or court action.
Donald Trump’s anger is just as much for them and their lost rights as it is for his own instances of slander for which he has no recourse. Ppl need to know all that.
Donald Trump’s wrath is directed for both his
J.E. Dean says
We are on different pages. Are you aware of how many of Trump’s J6 insurrectionists pled guilty?
I also disagree that Trump’s wrath is directed at both his suffering and at others. (I think that is what you were saying.) If it is, it would be the first time I am aware of that Trump thought about anyone other than himself.
BARBARA DENTON says
They pled guilty because they were being threatened with huge legal bills and loss of their jobs and ruination of their lives for attending a rally. This whole debacle was instigated by the FB1, CIA, DHS, and all the other intelligence departments in the government. There are 18 of them. Obviously Trump can withstand the lies and persecution by the various government entities. Unfortunately everyday patriotic American citizens cannot. They do not have the financial means to withstand the assault from the government. Liz Cheney suborned perjury. Cassidy Hutchinson lied under oath at the behest of Liz Cheney. She threw her lawyer over and used a lawyer Liz Cheney provided at no charge. She changed previous testimony she had given and agreed a note that was actually written by Trump’s chief of staff was her handwriting. It was not. To top it all off she ran around with Liz and Kamala to help campaign for Kamala. Trump has not threatened retribution against these criminals. Cleaning up the FBI and the Justice Department will cause the criminals to be brought to justice.
Wilson Dean says
It is a sad commentary that a newly-elected President would obsess about reeking revenge on those who have opposed him in the past. A President, regardless of party, should focus all of his/her energy on how to improve the lives of all the citizens of our country. Grudges are for weak, negative people. That says it all.
John Dean says
I full agree, as you might guess.
Deirdre LaMotte says
Yes, agree. It is not just Trump though, it is his minions that seek revenge. He is too $$$$$ oriented . Trump and
Musk only care about making millions/billions off cripto.
That is what “drill baby drill” is about. We are already
now at capacity for oil drilling. They plan to rape the environment for this, make $$$$$$, off America.
They are nothing but deceptive crooks who are great at manipulating stupid people.
BARBARA DENTON says
You are correct in that grudges are for weak, negative people. That is why the J6 committee was formed and used the strong arm of the government to try and destroy Trump and his supporters. The lying mainstream media reinforced the attempt to destroy Trump. Guess what! The public woke up and realized what a pitiful collection of TDS people were trying to do to Trump and MAGA. We do not want your communism. We want our freedom and we will have it.
Deirdre LaMotte says
“Communism”. Seriously? It is not your man who says he wants “to suspend our Constitution.”
He ran only to avoid jail. Now his sick friends are being appointed like some gruesome horror show.
I am sick of lobotomized Sinclair/Fox viewers.
Just wait for Medicare and Social Security to be
“trimmed”. Musk and Ramaswamy “cannot wait to slash these”;they were both on
Capitol Hill this week gaining support. Nothing like billionaires excited about deregulation for their profits and slashing Social Security and medical aid to seniors. This is what people want, curious.
But Barbara, you have a huge portfolio so why care, right?
Disgusting.
Helen Gale Shehan says
Something has not been investigated, certainly, to my satisfaction. The use of taxpayer dollars by Trump’s government, to pursue the members of the J6 committee, and others he deems political enemies. Personally, I would rather see my tax dollars go to something that will help the public good.
It would be a very interesting piece of information for the American public to have a sound estimation of how much his escapades will cost us. Thank you!!
John Dean says
I agree. How much will Trump spend going after his enemies? I also wonder if he will destroy the FBI as he seeks to turn it into his goon squad.
Deirdre LaMotte says
Best piece by an unknown person. All one needs to know about the “President Elect”
Yes, Liz Chaney, those with critical thinking skills are barfing as well.
We will see what happens to these people when their Social Security, Medicare gets “trimmed”. Hope everyone has a fine trust fund 😘
You’ll need it!
I am not an actual president; I just play one on TV.
I didn’t win the popular vote, I simply stole the job with some help from my friends on the internet.
As such, I don’t need to bother with formal presidential protocol; l’ve not studied world history, nor have I served in our military. I don’t have any acceptable ethics, nor do I worry about how my actions affect your future.
At my age and physical condition, I don’t worry much about the future. I don’t need to read government briefs, because everything I need to know is on endless cable TV news. I like free everything. I get free food, board and security with first class travel to my frequent golf outings or re-election rallies.
My Cabinet, staff and appointees are all very handsome and loyal “yes men” agreeing with everything I say — or I’ll fire them, embroiling them in public humiliation. I am always right, so l never need to apologize, and I lie so prolifically, the media can’t fact-check me fast enough.
Nothing sticks to me, I deny everything, and at the same time take credit for achievements that were not mine. I can womanize, and by contract, still hold my wife’s hand publicly.
Since my attention span is very short, and I am so very smart, I can complete every task, solve every world problem, in one-hour TV episodes.
Spending other people’s money is no problem; l’ve done it all my life. Now that I’m POTUS I can even print new money to supplement the tax revenue you send me.
I don’t pay my employees, never have; but expect good work from them. I don’t pay taxes, either — I’m not that stupid. Bankruptcy is my friend, as are my base of believers.
I make big commissions on every foot of wall I sell, and I’m selling a lot of wall these days, paid for by people I used to call Mexicans. (I won’t pay those contractors, either.)
Being the TV POTUS is great. I can say and do whatever I want. And “pardon me, l’m not a crook.”
Thank you,
TVPOTUS