Trump Sycophants (or any Synonym): Cling to Him Through Thick and Thin No Matter What

Can't dispute this obvious label

FOX News had the audacity to post this

(They quickly pulled it after backlash)

From NBC News this timely and growing topic headline:

“Secure bathrooms to not a spy: Here's how Republicans are defending Trump”

Republicans must once again decide whether, and how, to defend former President Donald Trump against his legal troubles.

The Federal case against Trump: Indicted for breaking seven laws and charged with 37 felony counts. Thirty-one of the 37 charges against Trump stem from the Espionage Act of 1917.

The indictment accuses Trump of illegally retaining documents that detail some of America's most closely guarded secrets and “endeavoring to obstruct the government’s efforts to retrieve them,” among other charges. 

Many of his defenders have maintained that Trump could declassify anything as president, and Trump himself has claimed that he declassified the documents.

What Trump GOP supporters & defenders say:

Texas Rep. Beth Van Duyne: “As President, Trump could declassify anything he wanted.”

Florida Rep. Byron Donalds: “There are 33 bathrooms at Mar-a-Lago. So don’t act like it’s just in some random bathroom that the guests can go into.”

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy: “Is it a good picture to have boxes in a garage that opens up all the time? A bathroom door locks.” 

(Note for McCarthy: Yes, true bathroom doors do lock, but usually from the inside, you moron).

The WSJ Editorial Board: “However cavalier he was with classified files, Trump did not accept a bribe or betray secrets to Russia. The FBI recovered the missing documents when it raided Mar-a-Lago, so presumably there are no more secret attack plans for Trump to show off.”  

But the indictment argues that Trump knew his administration did not complete the standard declassification process, and it accuses Trump of having shown the documents to people without security clearances, including a book author.

Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity in September 2022: “You’re the president of the United States, you can declassify just by saying it’s declassified, even by thinking about it.”

Trump later was heard on a recording saying: “See as president, I could have declassified it. Now I can’t, you know, but this is still a secret.”

Some Trump allies have repeatedly claimed that the indictment of the former president on criminal charges is evidence of Biden's Justice Department persecuting its chief political rival. For example:

Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley: “We are seeing for the first time in American history ... a sitting president of the United States try to throw his opponent into jail.”

Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs: “We mourn yet another example of the weaponization of our gov’t against its people. We will use every process, every court, every legislature, every state, every local, every voice, and every law, to restore our nation. We are Americans and we will prevail, if God is willing.”

What about Biden and basically for Mike Pence, too some argue:

Some of the former president’s supporters have drawn comparisons between his handling of classified information and that of President Joe Biden, but experts say the cases are markedly different.

Biden’s lawyers discovered a small number of classified documents with classified markings in a closet at the Penn-Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement in Washington. The White House counsel’s office notified the National Archives (NARA) that very same day.

In Trump’s case, NARA notified his staff in May 2021 (4 months after he left office) that some documents appeared to be missing. 

It was not until January 2022 (one year after he left office) that Trump and his staff shipped 15 boxes of documents back to the archives, which they then discovered contained classified documents.

The FBI also later obtained information that Trump had more government documents before issuing a subpoena for their return.

Then in August 2022, a search at Mar-a-Lago found more than 100 classified documents remained on the property, ultimately leading to the charges against Trump to where we are today with him indicted.

Comments about the indictment:

Speaker McCarthy: “We have a sitting president who possessed classified documents dating back decades to his time as vice president and as a senator. Yet he is now weaponizing the federal government to go after his leading political opponent. Where is the equal justice under the law?”

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz: “The press is having a field day of saying there were documents in a bathroom at Mar-a-Lago. Well, gosh, last I checked Joe Biden had classified documents in an unlocked garage next to his antique Corvette and it’s an absolute double standard.”

What about Hillary Clinton?

South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace: “Hillary Clinton used a hammer to destroy evidence of a private email server and classified information on that server and was never indicted. The same standard should apply to everyone, including Donald Trump.”

Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert: “Yesterday, Hillary Clinton had the nerve to sell merchandise as she gloated about Trump being indicted. The two-tiered justice system in our nation is completely out of control. Hillary has committed more crimes than just about anyone and here she is selling hats and laughing.”

The FBI investigated Clinton for months over her use of a private email server as secretary of state to determine whether she mishandled classified information.

In 2016, then FBI director, James Comey, said that Clinton was “extremely careless” in her handling of classified information but that “no reasonable prosecutor would bring a case against her and that her actions did not rise to the level of criminality or warrant charges.”

My 2 Cents: Obviously and as outlined above this one-sided GOP will stick with Trump no matter what crime he is indicted for and BTW, there are possibly 2-3 pending cases that could bring more indictments (e.g., GA, DC, and NYS).

Yet, this silly game the GOP is now playing of “whataboutism” is not only nutty but a bit dangerous too as they whip the MAGA base into a bigger frenzy working to keep them tied in a knot and glued to Trump.

That is not good for the country – only for this “new” GOP tied to Trump – and sadly not for the party that used to pride itself in law and order and nation first, but not anymore.

Now their tune is me, money, power, and well then maybe the country, but only on our terms. Simply cite the tyrant in FL (Gov. Ron DeSantis) who wants to replace the indicted former president with his wild and crazy stated FL plans for the country. Imagine that scenario. 

So, will this GOP pay any political price in 2024 at the polls? I think so, but in these crazy times, who really knows for sure. As always stay tuned and remain alert. It might get more ugly and dangerous especially now that many Republicans are calling for Civil War II. Can't get nuttier than that, right? Wait and see.

Thanks for stopping by.