It’s never been altogether clear whether Donald Trump knows what “treason” means, though there’s little doubt that he loves to casually throw the word around — far more than he should.
The former president has accused Barack Obama of treason. And Nancy Pelosi. And James Comey. He’s also eyed treason investigations into Adam Schiff, The New York Times, Google, and federal law enforcement officials. At one point, after one of his State of the Union addresses, Trump even suggested that congressional Democrats might have committed “treason” because they failed to applaud to his satisfaction.
Last night, the Republican turned to his social media platform to add to his unsettling list:
“GREAT JOB BY TUCKER CARLSON TONIGHT. The Unselect Committee of political Hacks & Thugs has been totally discredited. They knowingly refused to show the Videos that mattered. They should be tried for Fraud and Treason, and those imprisoned and being persecuted should be exonerated and released, NOW!”
For now, let’s not dwell on the fact that there’s bipartisan agreement, backed by law enforcement, that the Fox News host did not do a “great job.” Let’s also brush past the absurdity of Trump — a professed champion of “law and order” — calling for the immediate release of accused felons.
More interesting was the former president’s attacks on the bipartisan congressional investigation into the insurrectionist attack on the Capitol.
There is no sane justification for accusing members of the House panel with “treason.” (At this point, it seems Trump thinks the definition of “treason” is “doing stuff the former president doesn’t like.”) They did extraordinary work, exposed a great many powerful truths, and established an accurate record — for the public, for prosecutors, for history, et al. — about one of the most important moments in modern American history.
So why take note of the former president’s ridiculous rhetoric? It might be easier…
Read the full article here
