President Donald Trump makes no secret about going after his political opponents, even publicly demanding Attorney General Pam Bondi prosecute his "perceived political enemies."
But now experts are warning that his "prosecutorial charade" is a threat to democracy.
In a co-written opinion piece for MSNBC published Wednesday, Norman Eisen, co-founder and board member of Democracy Defenders Action, and Andrew Warren, senior counsel at Democracy Defenders Action, indicate that this abuse of power is different than what Americans have experienced in the past, including the Watergate scandal and President Richard Nixon's resignation in the aftermath.
Although Americans might feel exhausted amid the ongoing political turmoil, it's clear that Trump is not stopping, the authors argued.
"Eight months of a presidency defined by lawlessness have desensitized many Americans to his actions, but we must be very clear: ordering the attorney general to prosecute his political adversaries constitutes the gravest threat to democracy yet seen in his second term," the writers state.
Trump is pushing back on his Department of Justice to force the agency to bring perjury charges against former FBI Director James Comey, while he complains that nothing is done to punish Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), or New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Just last week, Erik Siebert, Trump's acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, resigned for not indicting James, according to media reports. James oversaw the New York state civil suit in 2023 against Trump and his companies involving financial fraud. Trump reportedly pressured Siebert to resign.
Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, made a criminal referral against James to the DOJ in April, alleging that James committed mortgage fraud "when she signed mortgage applications claiming two different homes as her principal residence." Pulte is notably eager to serve Trump.
"Rather than back down, though, Trump has doubled down. By pressuring Sieberg [SIC] to resign (or, as Trump claims, firing him) the president has made it easier for James, Comey, and Schiff to claim selective and vindictive prosecution, should any of them face charges."
Trump has been clear about his intentions, as the writers explain:
"Despite these farcical developments, Trump wants the attorney general to continue the prosecutorial charade, in hopes of securing criminal charges against his adversaries. If Bondi follows through, this would bring us one step closer to a dystopian reality in which saying or doing something that displeases Trump could result in handcuffs. If we end up there, no American can claim we haven’t been sufficiently warned. Trump has pondered aloud about prosecuting his enemies, wished for it and is now ordering it."