The Federalist’s Mollie Hemingway said in an interview late this week that the U.S. can no longer say it doesn’t do what banana republics and dictatorships do — prosecute political opponents — after former President Donald Trump’s latest arrest.
Trump was processed in Fulton County, Ga., on Thursday, marking his fourth arrest for various allegations, including his businesses, handling of classified documents, alleged election interference, and the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol Building.
In an appearance on Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, Hemingway responded specifically to the Georgia case.
“It’s a good word for what is going on,” Hemingway said, responding to Ingraham’s description of what’s happening to Trump as “a travesty.”
“We are seeing something horrible here in America. We used to be known as a place where we did not prosecute political opponents. Where we did not believe that the way to handle political opposition was the way that the Soviet Union handled it or the way Putin handles it,” Hemingway continued.
“Politically persecuting one’s opponents. What is happening with Democrats not just in Atlanta but also at the Department of Justice and also at the New York Attorney General’s office is to prosecute the political opponents of the ruling regime. This is a very dark moment. It’s a very serious thing,” she said.
“And it’s actually also very important that everybody who cares about this country and cares about rule of law and not handling things like we’re a third world country or the Soviet Union of the 1980s, that they speak against this and stand strong and defend what makes America great,” she added.
Trump, who was charged along with 18 others, including his former lawyers, faces 13 felony counts, including Solicitation of Violation of Oath by Public Officer (3 counts), Conspiracy to Commit Forgery in the First Degree (2 counts), Conspiracy to Commit False Statements and Writings (2 counts), False Statements and Writings (2 counts), Violation of the Georgia RICO Act (1 count), Conspiracy to Commit Impersonating a Public Officer (1 count), Conspiracy to Commit Filing False Documents (1 count), and Filing False Documents (1 count), the Daily Wire noted.
Trump spoke to reporters after he was booked and before he boarded his jet to return home to Mar-a-Lago.
“I thought the election was a rigged election, a stolen election,” he said. “And I should have every right to do that.”
Trump added that when he won the 2016 election, most Democrats, including his opponent, Hillary Clinton, called him “illegitimate” and claimed that the election was “stolen.”
“What has taken place here is a travesty of justice, we did nothing wrong, I did nothing wrong,” he said. “And everybody knows that I’ve never had such support.”
The former president added that all four criminal cases against him are examples of “election interference.”
“So I want to thank you for being here. We did nothing wrong at all,” he said. “And we have every right every single right to challenge an election that we think is dishonest. We think it’s very dishonest. So thank you all very much, and I’ll see you very soon. Thank you very much.”
