“No man is above the law”

| 3:00 pm EST January 11, 2024
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In normal times, strong statements from lawmakers against a leader of their own party would amount to laudable, if not courageous, acts. However, given the GOP’s long history of ignoring, enabling, and defending Donald Trump, speaking up now against something the twice-impeached wannabe-dictator says or does is really just another dollop of too little, too late.

In an open letter published Tuesday by The Bulwark, 19 Republican former members of Congress are professing their dedication to the “bedrock principle” that “no man is above the law.” For this reason, they are “joining a chorus of voices from both sides of the aisle calling on the courts to ensure that” Trump gets a speedy trial. As Trump is entitled to see evidence, so is the public, they contend, on the issues of immunity and appearing on the ballot in the upcoming election.

Also, this week some Republicans who were at the Capitol during the January 6 attack three years ago voiced their disagreement with Trump that people who were tried and convicted of crimes committed that day are “hostages” who must be pardoned and liberated. Senate Republican Whip John Thune admitted he doesn’t “condone that characterization at all, no” while Sen. John Cornyn expressed that he’s a “big believer” in the criminal justice system.

While these Republicans appear to sound reasonable on these issues, their pushback against Trump is laughably meek and wildly belated. The GOP has helped create a monster who is now hungry to return to the Oval Office with even greater power. If members of Trump’s party truly wish to take effective action to blunt his efforts, they’ll need a far more potent and meaningful plan than sprinkles of casual, feckless Republicansplaining.