On Tuesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Special Report,” John Lauro, the lead attorney for 2024 Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump on the case that Trump was indicted for earlier on Tuesday, said the indictment is an indictment based on political speech and policy actions and argued that “if we’re criminalizing politics, what’s going to happen when the Republicans are next in office? Think about the pressure that’s going to be put on a Republican president to go after and indict sitting Democrats now in Congress or in state houses for their political views,” Lauro specifically pointed to those who falsely claimed that the Hunter Biden laptop was Russian information as an example of political speech people might want to bring prosecutions for.
Lauro said that “political speech now has been criminalized” and that the former President is being indicted “for actions that he took as the executive — as the chief executive of the United States with respect to public policy matters.”
He added, “It affects not just Donald Trump, it affects every American, who now realizes that the First Amendment is under assault, it’s under attack by the Biden administration.”
Lauro further stated, “He’s being indicted for free speech. He’s being indicted for objecting to the way that the 2020 election was carried out. And any American that takes that view should be equally concerned, are they next? Because the reality is that, if a President can be indicted for free speech, then anybody can be indicted. So, when this case goes to trial, we’re going to be representing, not just President Trump, but every single American that believes in the First Amendment and believes in your ability to redress and bring grievances to Congress, and that’s exactly what people were doing. You had these alternate electors that said to the Congress, we have serious doubts about what happened in the 2020 election. We’re bringing these grievances to you, listen to us. That’s being criminalized now.”
Later, Lauro argued, “And, by the way, is there any doubt there [are] two systems of justice in the United States? Was Hillary Clinton prosecuted for the Russian hoax? Were those individuals who said, don’t worry about the Biden laptop because it’s just Russian disinformation, are they being prosecuted? No. Only one person in America is being prosecuted for his political beliefs. And that should send a chill, a warning, to every single American who one day wants to get up and say, this is what I believe in. I disagree with the Biden administration, but these are the beliefs I have. Because every person who does that now is subject to a potential criminal case.”
He concluded, “So, what they’re saying is politicians may use hyperbolic speech or excessive speech in some way and stir up people and we’re going to criminalize that? Good luck in the United States if that’s where we’re heading. … And if we’re criminalizing politics, what’s going to happen when the Republicans are next in office? Think about the pressure that’s going to be put on a Republican president to go after and indict sitting Democrats now in Congress or in state houses for their political views, and then we have this vicious circle once the criminal justice system has been politicized.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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