It was the crime of the century. Crime wave, actually.
Frame the duly elected president of the United States and his associates as Russian agents, impeach him and destroy many innocent people who helped win the most shocking political upset in our nation’s history.
With the recent revelations from the Justice Department into the case of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn combined with the House Intelligence Committee release of 57 transcripts from its 2017-2018 investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, it’s never been more abundantly clear that Trump-Russia collusion was a hoax.
Though over a dozen people are known key players in creating and prosecuting it, from former FBI Director James Comey to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, the web is far more complex and deep.
Hundreds of people, if not more – from top intelligence and law enforcement agencies, political operatives, shadowy donors, shady research firms, #Resistance media, foreign spies and diplomats had influential roles. They collectively trafficked in espionage, libel, slander, criminal leaks and conspiracy theories for years.
If they aren’t held accountable, the entire fabric of our society will unravel into a death spiral of vengeance and political corruption. So how can we?
In the courts: Attorney General William Barr must prosecute everyone who violated the rights of President Trump, his family and over 50 associates whose lives, and their families’ lives, were needlessly shattered by sham investigations and sensationalist media coverage. That includes predatory FBI agents and prosecutors, investigation leakers, lawyers who withheld exculpatory evidence and other character assassins. Recognizing that indictments and convictions against #Resistance figures in Washington, DC may be near impossible because of Democrat partisan grand juries and majority Obama-appointed judges, DoJ should explore venue changes for holding trials across the country. Those who aren’t successfully prosecuted for crimes ought to be sued for damages in civil court.
In the media: The public should support media outlets which challenged the Trump-Russia hoax and punish those which were complicit. The journalists, television commentators and former Obama administration officials who have been exposed as liars and frauds for advancing it ought to be permanently banned from the airwaves and newspapers. Since that’s unlikely, Americans should forever boycott #Resistance flagships like CNN, MSNBC, The Washington Post, The New York Times and farm team prospects at lesser outlets. If no one watches, buys their dwindling print editions or clicks their websites – and/or sues them into oblivion, they will fold. Also, since Trump-Russia hoaxers went far beyond hate speech and into sedition, they should be “de-platformed” and hit with lifetime bans from Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and more.
At the ballot box: Some of the worst offenders in the Trump-Russia hoax are elected officials. Yet because the debate clause in Congress gives members immunity from prosecution for remarks on the House and Senate floor, holding them accountable is more difficult. Easier to vote them out. Let’s remember though that since majority rules in Congress, voting for any Democrat equals voting for the far left extremists who now run the party, from Speaker Nancy Pelosi to committee chairmen down to “The Squad”. And those extremists have incited violence, engaged in illegal witness tampering, and more broadly terrorized scores of people simply because they disagree with their politics. Stopping voter fraud must also be a top priority.
On campus: College campuses should ban all Trump-Russia hoaxers from faculty and administration posts. We need zero tolerance for employing morally corrupt people who engaged in the subversion of the democratic process. It’s bad enough already that universities have become more dysfunctional each year. Far too many students will now drown in debt for decades, if not for life, while left-wing ideologues with six-figure salaries virtue signal from shiny new buildings — including about income inequality. When colleges do hire Trump-Russia frauds, there must be meaningful consequences. Federal and State funds should be suspended, if not revoked entirely. Campus conservatives should organize to oust them, not unlike campus liberals do to guest speakers. Alumni donors should quit donating.
In the history books: The winners write the history books. Among the 20th century’s greatest villains is Senator Joseph McCarthy, a man who fomented the 1950s Red Scare, accused of exaggerating the communist threat and needlessly wrecking lives. Yet his tactics were mild compared to what we’ve seen used against President Trump and associates. Those responsible must be remembered among the 21st century’s greatest villains. Take your pick, so many to choose from. And as U.S. Attorney John Durham’s investigation into the origins of Trump-Russia wraps up, it will be interesting to see what then-President Obama and Vice President Biden knew, and when they knew it.
So while it’s likely far fewer hoaxers will be imprisoned than deserved, that doesn’t mean they can’t be held accountable. Americans who value the Constitution and rule of law must see to it.
J.D. Gordon is a former Senior National Security & Foreign Policy Advisor to Donald Trump. Previously, he served as a Pentagon spokesman during the George W. Bush Administration and is a retired Navy Commander.