elected Republicans treat Trump verdict as litmus test

[Multicolored Lemur]

Attack Trump verdict or be exiled - a new test for Republicans - BBC News

A moderate who urged Americans to respect the verdict was warned "you just ended your campaign".

www.bbc.com

But the fiercest defence of the former president may have come from Florida Senator Marco Rubio - who, back in 2016 when they were rivals for the Republican nomination, was one of Trump’s most vocal critics.

“This is a quintessential show trial,” Rubio said. “This is what you see in communist countries. This is what I grew up having people in the [Cuban exile] community tell me about. It happened in the days after the Castro revolution.”

Comparing America’s system of justice - with its independent juries and open trials and rule of law - to that of communist Cuba will stun many Americans. Mr Rubio isn’t just saying that these particular jurors made the wrong call in finding Trump guilty. He is going much further than that. He is making a full-blown denunciation of America’s legal system at large.

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If you want to say that the 4 yr potential max sentence is too long for a “run of a mill” business offense, just say it.

You don’t need to trash the whole legal system.

 

[AgnosticBoy]

If you want to say that the 4 yr potential max sentence is too long for a “run of a mill” business offense, just say it.

You don’t need to trash the whole legal system.

Agreed. Such language by politicians is common in politics to get the base riled up.

I do believe that we're on a dangerous track though when it comes to lawfare. I think people like Rubio would be better to be more careful with their words. He can probably say that this can lead to this instead of talking as if we are already there.