Trump's 'insidious' new scandal is also among his most 'ominous': analyst
A political analyst argued on Monday that President Donald Trump's latest scandal is also among his most "ominous."
Last week, a federal grand jury refused to return an indictment against six Democrats who posted a video on social media telling military troops that they don't have to obey illegal orders. Trump described the video as "seditious" in a Truth Social post, and called for the Democrats to be court martialed.
Political analyst David Shuster argued in a new Substack essay on Monday that Trump's attempt to prosecute the Democrats for the video was another "attempted coup."
"For all the turmoil Donald Trump has inflicted on our nation in his 2nd Presidential term, last week’s revelation that his Department of Justice sought to indict sitting members of Congress for advising members of the U.S. military to disobey unlawful orders should rank among the most ominous," Shuster wrote.
"This wasn’t merely politicized legal brinkmanship. It was an attempted coup by prosecutorial fiat, one that was luckily stymied by a grand jury panel of ordinary citizens," he added.
Trump's second administration has been marked by scandal after scandal. For instance, the President's family has made more than $1.4 billion since he took office, from ventures spanning international real estate deals to cryptocurrency investments. The president has also sought to prosecute his political enemies for perceived crimes.
"Defenders of Trump now insist that no harm was done — that the grand jury’s refusal proves the system works," Shuster wrote. "And yes, for the moment, the guardrails have held. But it is worth remembering that a bank robber who points a gun at a bank teller, gets thwarted, and fails to steal bags full of cash has still attempted armed robbery."
"The fact that the citizens of Washington, D.C., refused to indict the six members of Congress does not erase the insidious Trump appetite that inspired this prosecution effort," he added.