So when our right wing friends claim that Biden/Harris/Walz has politicized/is going to politicize the DOJ, just mention this:
A new report from Rolling Stone claims that former President Donald Trump wanted to use the United States Department of Justice to go after late-night comedians who made fun of him.
In a lengthy report on Trump's second-term ambitions, sources told the publication that Trump believed that comedians who mocked him on television were guilty of giving what amounted to illegal campaign contributions to Democrats.
And:
"During his 2024 campaign, according to a source with direct knowledge, Trump has raised this topic again, venting about the need to punish late-night comedians for giving “illegal” campaign contributions to the Democratic Party — in the form of jokes and on-air satire."
Free speech, anyone?
The story was mentioned in The NYTimes:
An article in Rolling Stone said that while Trump was president, he tried to persuade Justice Department officials to use campaign finance laws and equal-time broadcast regulations to rule that anti-Trump jokes on late-night shows were illegal. Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel were among those on Trump’s list of targets.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
And, since all those late-night jokes are regarding politics and/or a politician positioning himself in a political arena, isn't political speech kinda sorta uber-protected?
Well, yes. From The Congressional Research Service:
The Court has long considered political and ideological speech to be at the core of the First Amendment, including speech concerning “politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion.” This speech can take forms beyond the written or spoken word, such as funding or symbolic acts.
So, next time our MAGA friends warn about how Biden has politicized DOJ, gently remind them that the felon Trump has already looked into it.
