Trump DOJ’s Vindictive Reply to Comey’s Claim of Vindictive Prosecution

The point of lawfare, we’ve now seen all too often, is to punish and humiliate the target, not vindicate the rule of law. That’s not to say that President Trump and his minions wouldn’t love to convict Jim Comey of a crime. But if that’s not an available option — which appears to be the case in the prosecution the president has goaded his Justice Department into bringing against the former FBI director — the punitive application of the legal process and the stigma of criminal charges will do.

This week thus produced one of the most bizarre submissions to a court that I’ve seen from the Justice Department (which is saying something after more than 40 years of working in and then closely following the DOJ’s doings).

About the Author

Andrew C. McCarthy

Andrew C. McCarthy is a senior fellow at National Review Institute, an NR contributing editor, and author of Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency.

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The point of lawfare, we’ve now seen all too often, is to punish and humiliate the target, not vindicate the rule of law. That’s not to say that President Trump and his minions wouldn’t love to convict Jim Comey of a crime. But if that’s not an available option — which appears to be the case in the prosecution the president has goaded his Justice Department into bringing against the former FBI director — the punitive application of the legal process and the stigma of criminal charges will do.

This week thus produced one of the most bizarre submissions to a court that I’ve seen from the Justice Department (which is saying something after more than 40 years of working in and then closely following the DOJ’s doings).

About the Author

Andrew C. McCarthy

Andrew C. McCarthy is a senior fellow at National Review Institute, an NR contributing editor, and author of Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency.