History Will Judge Trump’s Unconstitutional, Democracy-Destroying Actions
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, special counsel Jack Smith filed to drop charges in his case against President-elect Trump for his role in the January 6th insurrection.
Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, issued the following statement in response:
“Today marks an expected but troubling conclusion to the DOJ criminal investigation case into former and future President Trump. Special counsel Jack Smith made clear that the choice was made for him: DOJ policy does not permit prosecution of a sitting president.
“At least for now, Trump may escape justice for his role in trying to overturn the 2020 election, fomenting the January 6 insurrection, and improperly handling classified documents. But his ability to to escape prosecution does not retroactively validate his illegal, unconstitutional and democracy-destroying activities. They were heinous and unconscionable acts that literally cost lives and threatened the peaceful transfer of power. If not the courts, history will judge them appropriately.
“At Public Citizen we believe that no one should be above the law, that criminality by the powerful must be punished, and that attempting to overturn the nation’s election and fomenting political violence should be harshly sanctioned
“Donald Trump aims not just to excuse but to normalize all this behavior. Permitting him to succeed would enable a slide into authoritarianism. The American people must not let that happen.”