Does the GOP have the resolve to put an end to the partisan abuse of our nation’s political institutions? Or will they continue to allow the fear of media excoriation to dictate their actions?
Following the arraignment of President Donald Trump in Miami on Tuesday — the first time that an American president has faced federal charges — the country has further descended into a maelstrom of controversy.
While the Left openly celebrates what they claim to be a victory for “democracy” and for law and order, many on the right consider the charges against Trump to be nothing more than the product of political persecution by a Democratic Party that wants to prevent its top rival from winning another four years in the White House in 2024.
Even some Democrats are now worried about the long-term implications that Trump’s indictment will have on the country.
Sheikh Rahman, a Georgia state senator born in Bangladesh, told The New York Times: “This is not good for this country in terms of our status around the world. Everybody looks to us, the whole world is looking at us, and they’re saying, ‘How could this happen to the United States?’”
And Bruce Ledewitz, a campaign operative who worked on the Gary Hart and Al Gore presidential campaigns, told the outlet he believes Democrats should follow the example of President Gerald Ford, who pardoned Richard Nixon:
“Nobody asked the Ford question: Is this in the best interest of the country?,” Ledewitz said of Democrats. “Trump could be president and be in prison. I don’t know who thought this would be wise for the country. It’s just not.”
The 37 felony counts against Trump relate to his alleged refusal to hand over classified documents he had stored at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida.
Despite much hand-wringing from Republican elected officials, little action has been forthcoming. One of the exceptions has been Republican Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, who declared this week that he would withhold support for Biden’s Justice Department nominees in response to the Trump indictment.
“Donald Trump is merely the latest victim of a Department of Justice that cares more about politics than law enforcement. Merrick Garland’s department harasses Christians for pro-life advocacy, but allows hardened criminals to walk our streets unpunished. This must stop, and I will do everything in my ability to ensure it does,” Vance said in a press release, adding that he would “hold all Department of Justice nominations. If Merrick Garland wants to use these officials to harass Joe Biden’s political opponents, we will grind his department to a halt.”
Vance clarified in his press statement that he would not hold up those nominated to the U.S. Marshals Service, as his aim is merely to “prevent the Senate from quickly approving President Biden’s nominees by unanimous consent, as the Senate often does.”
Vance’s gesture is laudatory and is representative of the kind of action Republicans should be taking to counteract the unprecedented political persecution Democrats are indulging in. However, while Vance’s refusal to support Biden nominees may slow the approval process down by requiring them to go to a floor vote, the senator by himself cannot bring the system to a halt. This means that while Vance can be a thorn in Democrats’ side, the true overhaul that is needed will not come about without the full support of the Republican caucus.
Republicans are certainly not lacking legitimate grounds for investigating the wrongdoings of Joe Biden. While the GOP has an undeniable political interest in pursuing the allegations of corruption and bribery against Biden and his family, the reason for such a course of action is higher, going beyond mere partisan politics:
The rule of law. The sanctity of our political institutions. The integrity of the Constitution and our Republic.
Can the country simply ignore the fact that the man currently sitting in the Oval Office stands credibly accused of receiving $5 million, while serving as vice president under Barack Obama, to serve the interests of Ukrainian firm Burisma Holdings?
According to Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley during a floor speech in the chamber on Monday, the FBI source who reported on Biden’s involvement in the alleged Ukrainian bribery scheme claims to be in possession of audio recordings proving the bribe.
If the allegations are true, then Biden’s foreign policy decisions as president and vice president begin to make sense — for example, his pressuring, while vice president, of the Ukrainian government to fire a prosecutor who was investigating Burisma, and, of course, his recent support of Ukraine with money and weapons.
But Republicans at all levels of government have been reluctant to take real action to investigate Biden — just as they were all bark but no bite when it came to the crimes of the Clintons.
Republicans, for far too long, have been more concerned about image than the rule of law. They vocally condemn Democrats, but have been afraid to actually investigate and prosecute because doing so could scandalize the public.
Now that Democrats have already shown their willingness to cross that line with the indictments of Trump, however, Republicans can and must shed their hesitation. If they remain unwilling to punish corruption even while Democrats go on a rampage of political persecution, then the Republic cannot long endure.
