‘Positively Stalinist’: Legal expert warns ‘if Trump wins we lose the Republic’

A professor of law, former U.S. Attorney, and noted legal analyst is urging Democrats to "have a serious conversation with the American people about what Donald Trump intends to do if he wins again." Joyce Vance warns: "If Trump wins in 2024, we lose the Republic. That’s not drama, and that’s not overstatement. That’s what Trump is promising."

"The writing on the wall is clear," Vance continues. "But far too many people remain unaware of Trump’s 2025 plan, or they don’t take it seriously. People who love democracy need to make sure they do."

Vance points to this section of a recent Washington Post article on Trump's plan for a second White House term, which she says "sounds positively Stalinist":

“Trump and his allies have begun mapping out specific plans for using the federal government to punish critics and opponents should he win a second term, with the former president naming individuals he wants to investigate or prosecute and his associates drafting plans to potentially invoke the Insurrection Act on his first day in office to allow him to deploy the military against civil demonstrations.”

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As others have also noted, and as Vance writes, the "most frightening thing about this, to my mind, is that it’s not new. People simply aren’t paying attention. In October of 2020, before the last election, Trump was already taking steps in this direction. Trump signed an executive order making a change in civil service rules that made it possible to fire employees in policy positions 'at will'—for no reason at all."

"The order undid the pesky civil service protections that made it impossible to fire FBI agents who were investigating him or government lawyers who insisted he play be the rules. It was a harbinger of what Trump’s plans for 2025 would look like," Vance adds.

She points out several new points in the Post's piece, including, "Have DOJ investigate former Trump administration officials and allies who have become critics of the former president," "Appoint a special prosecutor to 'go after' President Biden and his family, based on unsupported allegations of corruption that Trump’s allies in the House are already moving forward with," and "Draft an executive order to permit the military to be deployed in the United States pursuant to the Insurrection Act."

"It’s the stuff of banana republics," Vance writes. "It’s a menu for the end of democracy."

"Donald Trump plainly wants to end democracy. That’s not being alarmist," Vance says, "it’s just the truth."

Read Vance's full article here.

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