I don’t care if indicting Trump would divide the country

One argument I have heard against charging Trump is that it would divide the country. Thi sis a poor argument for several reasons.

He certainly appears to be guilty. Nobody is above the law. I doubt he goes to jail but I hope he does. The low-level people who invaded the Capitol because of him are going to jail. The insurrection wouldn’t have happened without Trump so he belongs there, too.
Could it divide the country more than it already is? Remember, 70% of Republicans won’t even admit that Biden won a fair election.
Republicans don’t care about dividing the country. The Supreme Court abortion decision made by their judges is very divisive but they clearly don’t care. Democrats shouldn’t care either. The only way to respond to Republican tactics is to fight fire with fire. Biden needs to get over the idea that we’re still in the 1970s. See the tweet below.

They’re right. https://t.co/rrZLWTh8s2
— Harris Levy (@HarrisL585) June 24, 2022

According to a new poll from ABC News/Ipsos, 58 percent of US adults support prosecuting Trump for the riot https://t.co/ziiyQwkhkN
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) June 19, 2022

Former U.S. AG Eric Holder, asked whether the DOJ should indict Trump, says there has to be "accountability" for 1/6:

"It'll be a divisive thing if it happens, but it will be equally divisive, I think, not to take action against those who tried to foment that coup." pic.twitter.com/dXbN40OUKx
— The Recount (@therecount) May 10, 2022

Update on the Trump mob 6/18/22

Tucker often claims "not a single" J6 rioter had a gun. But that's 100% false. Total lie. And there's no reason for it: He could truthfully say "almost no one" had a gun. Instead, he lies. Some rioters had guns, including one who pleaded guilty TODAY –> https://t.co/HNkTUHBNPK pic.twitter.com/19UmtKn7Qs
— Marshall Cohen (@MarshallCohen) June 17, 2022

NOW: Our new NY Times visual investigation of the Proud Boys shows how dozens of members of the far-right group maneuvered tactically at the Capitol on Jan. 6 in ways not previously known and unlike hundreds of other rioters that day. https://t.co/oH0lsd2D3c
— Alan Feuer (@alanfeuer) June 17, 2022

January 6 rioter pleads guilty to carrying a loaded firearm on US Capitol grounds and assaulting police officers with one of their own batons during the insurrection https://t.co/fs0xaWms7e
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) June 17, 2022

The man who was captured parading through the US Capitol with a large Confederate flag on January 6 has been found guilty of felonies, along with his son https://t.co/0d7bBifFgH
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) June 15, 2022

Mastriano is the current Republican nominee for Pennsylvania governor

Rick Saccone is the guy who blew a 2018 special election against Conor Lamb in a Trump+20 district https://t.co/zNk9X33Zxs
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) June 14, 2022

JUST IN: DOJ says Jan. 6 defendant Ryan Samsel (who investigators believe instigated the breach of the Capitol perimeter) has refused a court-ordered medical evaluation and sent a disturbing letter on June 2 about putting “poltions [sic]” through a “woodchipper.” pic.twitter.com/C8YH9bMvH6
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) June 13, 2022

New Justice Dept report:

"The FBI continues to seek the public’s help in identifying more than 350 individuals believed to have committed violent acts on the Capitol grounds, including over 250 who assaulted police officers" pic.twitter.com/KL35XWPInd
— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) June 11, 2022

Trump should be prosecuted if the facts warrant it

As said in the tweet, not prosecuting him would be worse. I’m not worried about dividing the country. It’s already divided. The Trump cult can’t get much worse.

I’m not underestimating the civil unrest that could follow a decision to indict Trump, but when the evidence of his seditious conspiracy and other federal crimes is as overwhelming as it appears it will be, a decision not to indict him would be far worse.https://t.co/6jtP6VnqcL
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) June 11, 2022

from ⁦@EJDionne⁩:

"After watching Cheney pile fact upon fact and make connection after connection, actual prosecutors in the Justice Dept will have little choice but to issue the legal indictments that the treasonous conspiracy of Jan. 6 requires."
https://t.co/NrIxXuEFqM
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) June 11, 2022

My take on #Seditiongate after the first public hearing of the 1/6 Committee: Why I think the Committee is making an air-tight case for holding Trump accountable https://t.co/Zn435PoS7M
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) June 12, 2022

We already had civil unrest, on Jan 6. There may be much more if the most dangerous individual in America remains free. Prosecution also helps to deflate leader cults. It shows followers that their gods are not infallible/omnipotent and restores respect for rule of law. https://t.co/cuyhtIKZoz
— Ruth Ben-Ghiat (@ruthbenghiat) June 12, 2022

“Should he be prosecuted in a criminal court for his relentless efforts to defy the will of the voters and hang on to power?” I believe he should be, and I predict he will be, but I’m relieved that I don’t have the responsibility of making that call.https://t.co/P9ARklMZxQ
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) June 12, 2022

I get there are people—good people—who worry that prosecuting Trump will lead to civil unrest and violence. But not prosecuting him will hasten the demise of democracy. Prosecute the guilty.
— Steven Beschloss (@StevenBeschloss) June 12, 2022

Barbara McQuade, who we admire and respect, said: “Filing criminal charges against Trump in connection with efforts to overturn the election will likely spark civil unrest." She's usually correct and speaks carefully.
But what about from NOT filing criminal charges against Trump?
— Duty To Warn 🔉 (@duty2warn) June 11, 2022

Morning Consult poll:

63% of Americans believe DOJ should bring legal action against elected officials who misled Americans about the outcome of an election

67% believe DOJ should bring legal action against elected officials who attempted to overturn the results of an election
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) June 14, 2022

I sincerely don't think Democratic leaders grasp how much the failure of the DOJ to prosecute Donald Trump for his coup attempt is hurting Democratic enthusiasm in 2022. I have heard it for months from listeners to my show. It will get worse if no charges after Jan 6 hearings.
— (((DeanObeidallah))) (@DeanObeidallah) June 15, 2022

Only 21% or Republicans think it’s very important to find out what happened on 1/6

pic.twitter.com/tDBFSRKkrk
— CBS News Poll (@CBSNewsPoll) June 9, 2022

CBS News polled on Jan. 6 immediately after the events of that day and since.
Here at a look at how Americans have viewed the Jan. 6 Capitol attack
read it here: https://t.co/9GUE7RODsL
— CBS News Poll (@CBSNewsPoll) June 9, 2022

More tweets on corporate donations to Republican big lie/great replacement supporters

Coca-cola, Gap, Intuit, Mastercard, Amex, State Farm, JP Morgan, GE, McDonalds, Visa, Amazon, Ford, GM, Comcast and Home Depot.

All of these companies made a promise to cut off donations to the Sedition Caucus. All of them have broken that promise. https://t.co/m8SuVAFrT5
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) August 31, 2023

According to a Post analysis, 22 large U.S. companies with racial justice pledges donated money to Elise Stefanik after the No. 3 House Republican ran controversial ads espousing the “great replacement” theory.https://t.co/oAVpBkawB7
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 23, 2022

Toyota continues to do the wrong thing for democracy.https://t.co/o5UWpU1oVZ
— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) May 5, 2022

Your weekly reminder that since the insurrection, corporate interests have given $21.3 million benefitting the 147 members who voted not to certify the election results.

This week we're spotlighting @Lowes, which has given $30,000 to benefit the Sedition Caucus.
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) April 29, 2022

Integrity is what you do when no one is watching. @Toyota has shown us their real character. https://t.co/ofhsWCik89
— Fred Wellman (@FPWellman) April 25, 2022

787 corporations and industry groups are helping fund the re-election of the Sedition Caucus. They don't care about democracy. They just care about their own access and bottom line. https://t.co/m8SuVAFrT5
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) March 27, 2022

NEW: If corporations like @HomeDepot are really committed to preserving democracy, why did they spend over $1.6 million in one month on election objectors in Congress? READ MORE 👇 https://t.co/ibqo1kMg1u pic.twitter.com/3llJZhdjKF
— Accountable.US (@accountable_us) March 25, 2022

Your weekly reminder that since the insurrection, corporate interests have given $20.38 million benefitting the 147 members who voted not to certify the election results.

This week we're spotlighting Wells Fargo, which has given $25,000 to benefit the Sedition Caucus.
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) March 11, 2022

It doesn’t matter that McCarthy lied

Cillizza is wrong. People like me already had a low opinion of him. Republicans don’t care that he lied.

From the New York Times article I linked to (with my bolding):

For Mr. McCarthy, the immediate political problem was not being caught in a lie. In the Republican Party, which has coalesced around Mr. Trump’s claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him, falsehoods have become routine and even accepted.

The greater danger for Mr. McCarthy on Friday was the truth — that, with the disclosure of his negative comments about Mr. Trump, he might invite the ire of the former president, who maintains a stranglehold on his party and on a powerful faction of extremist House members who already pose the greatest risk to his political future.

This is what we now know about McCarthy, the top-ranking Republican in the House:

He flat-out lied about comments he had made about Trump immediately following the January 6 attackshttps://t.co/VYr2c1Y9Fr
— Chris Cillizza (@ChrisCillizza) April 22, 2022

Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s false claim that he never urged Donald Trump to resign after the Capitol riot exposed the hypocrisy of Republicans who have privately scorned Trump while publicly defending him, a phenomenon widely known but seldom seen in Washington. https://t.co/ECO7XJSYGW
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 22, 2022

We talked to dozens of GOPers today. The consensus is this blows over as long as Trump stays unbothered.

BUT they're bracing for audio of McCarthy saying some Rs shuld have their Twitter taken away. That could be BIG issue for McCarthy, who has faced Qs about Silicon Valley ties https://t.co/js41uie0aj
— Melanie Zanona (@MZanona) April 22, 2022

The McCarthy case demonstrates how in today's Republican Party being caught dissing Trump is perceived to be more politically dangerous than being caught brazenly lying. ⁦@anniekarni⁩ https://t.co/wIYscoq8Ih
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) April 23, 2022

Reuters White House correspondent Jeff Mason on the Kevin McCarthy tapes: “I think in a different political landscape, it would be a bigger deal.”

This does rub me the wrong way. So many mainstream news outlets are passive observers, rather than hammering Republicans for lying. pic.twitter.com/OpvGh1FgxH
— Eric Kleefeld (@EricKleefeld) April 24, 2022

Of course brazen lies haven't cost Kevin McCarthy his job

in today's Republican Party, they're credentials for leadershiphttps://t.co/WkqMoPW9Eh
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) May 1, 2022

McCarthy lied but the Trump cult will never know that

Do you think Republicans will care that McCarthy lied? They still love Trump. Telling the truth apparently isn’t important to the GOP.
— Harris Levy (@HarrisL585) April 22, 2022

McCarthy is afraid of the Republican Trump cult base. He knew Trump was wrong. What a coward! https://t.co/QHxR8WNiJm
— Harris Levy (@HarrisL585) April 21, 2022

Alternative Realities. https://t.co/SGLqzarnwe
— Charlie Sykes (@SykesCharlie) April 22, 2022

Trump is the role model – they lie even when it’s on tapehttps://t.co/TOGQ3vaQx2
— Harris Levy (@HarrisL585) April 22, 2022

The McCarthy tape won't matter much. The Trump cult members will never hear it. People like me who already thought McCarthy was a liar and hypocrite just think this is just more proof. https://t.co/qjmnh5slO1
— Harris Levy (@HarrisL585) April 22, 2022

Trump is their God. https://t.co/cHOA9anOLJ pic.twitter.com/ujiO0bpicP
— Dan Froomkin/PressWatchers.org ☮️ (@froomkin) April 22, 2022

The Trump team planned a coup before Biden was even declared the winner

I’m no legal expert but how is this not a crime? Somebody has to hold these people accountable. I’m looking at you DOJ.

Donald Trump’s son sent the White House chief of staff a text message two days after Election Day in 2020 that laid out strategies for declaring his father the winner regardless of the electoral outcome, people familiar with the exchange said Friday. https://t.co/JdMiikfAxz
— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) April 9, 2022

New tweets on the Trump 1/6 mob

The leader of the West Virginia chapter of the Proud Boys pleads guilty to illegally entering the US Capitol grounds on January 6 https://t.co/yEm9TUwkSF
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) April 6, 2022

1/2 The DC US Attys office had over 700 extra cases – above & beyond what they already had on their docket & far more cases than most offices do in a year – resulting from 1-6. Congress must give DOJ the additional resources it seeks. https://t.co/2S78KNsGmG
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) April 6, 2022

Couy Griffin participated in the Jan 6th “Stop the Steal” demonstrations. He illegally breached the Capitol’s security barriers and remained on restricted grounds even after the mob became violent. He must be removed from office. https://t.co/0CgNO4kmSt
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) April 4, 2022

Figliuzzi writes: America's intelligence community has pro-Jan. 6 bias lurking inside ⁦@MSNBCDaily⁩ ⁦@MSNBC⁩ https://t.co/flrMkRfnKC
— Frank Figliuzzi (@FrankFigliuzzi1) April 2, 2022

An Alabama man who brought a truckload of weapons, ammunition, and Molotov cocktails near the US Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced to 46 months in prison. https://t.co/CxtGwIDDGj
— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 1, 2022

"They are the ones paying the consequences": January 6 rioters mimic Trump's misinformation playbook but see different results https://t.co/84Itx6eGiX
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) March 25, 2022

A Capitol riot suspect has been granted refugee status in Belarus after he fled the United States, according to Belarusian state-owned television https://t.co/VzlHJ76cPc
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) March 22, 2022

"Cowboys for Trump" founder's January 6-related trial starts today https://t.co/6E6OjVG4M2
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) March 21, 2022

Former West Virginia state lawmaker who resigned after participating in the January 6 Capitol attack pleads guilty to felony civil disorder charge https://t.co/kagzWSIDMA
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) March 18, 2022

The former Rocky Mount, Va., police officer agreed to testify against his fellow officer, who traveled to the Capitol with him on Jan. 6 https://t.co/TButvhZoAR
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 18, 2022

Trumpist judge acquits January 6 defendant. Cringeworthy. Trevor McFadden is unfit for the bench.https://t.co/PbpKMpPi3z
— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) April 6, 2022

Trump mob update 3/4/22

HAPPENING NOW: Day 3 of the trial of Guy REFFITT, the first Jan. 6 defendant to face a jury.

Testimony today expected to include a Senate aide who was on the floor on Jan. 6 and a member of Three Percenters militia testifying with immunity.

Yesterday: https://t.co/lZ1e5OPANr
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) March 4, 2022

A Capitol rioter died by suicide as he was awaiting sentencing on charges of witness tampering, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds and two counts of disorderly conduct, officials say. https://t.co/YUB8BBMDc7
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 2, 2022

Accused U.S. Capitol rioter wanted to drag Pelosi from building, prosecutor says https://t.co/s2GD15moAM pic.twitter.com/UPgI2KOPCC
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 2, 2022

NEW: The Trump supporter who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 while he was out on bail on an attempted murder charge was also a racist online troll who praised Hitler, feds say. https://t.co/TSS63rzAYg
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) March 1, 2022

The Capitol rioter who was photographed walking off with Nancy Pelosi's podium is going to prison. They do say when you play stupid games you win stupid prizes. https://t.co/6CKrHydVQC
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) February 27, 2022

BREAKING: A Capitol rioter proclaimed to a judge that “dark energy forces” had led her to storm the Capitol through a broken window on Jan. 6, when she declared "civil war.”

She’s been sentenced to prison. https://t.co/THReVzw0D0
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) February 23, 2022

FBI arrests Baltimore man on charges he stormed US Capitol on Jan. 6https://t.co/S2GaIPJgzV
— The Baltimore Sun (@baltimoresun) March 4, 2022