MANBC host Rachel Maddow exposed the strategy behind President Donald Trump's latest series of legal moves during an interview on Sunday afternoon.
Maddow joined MSNBC's Al Sharpton on his show "PoliticsNation" to discuss the Trump administration's decision to indict some of Trump's political enemies. Over the last couple of weeks, Trump's lawyers have indicted former FBI Director James Comey with lying to Congress and obstruction of justice, and charged New York Attorney General Letitia James with mortgage fraud. Both Comey and James have denied the allegations made against them.
To Maddow, Trump appeared to be sending a clear message to his political foes with the indictments, no matter how strong the actual cases against James and Comey may be.
"They're putting heads on pikes and putting those pikes up at the edge of the gates to the city to say, 'It's not possible to criticize, let alone oppose, this president,'" Maddow said. "If you do, look, what we're going to do to you and your family and your career and your livelihood and your reputation."
"I think that's all it is," she continued.
So far, federal courts have not ruled on the merits of the charges that Trump officials brought against Comey and James. Even so, Maddow said she expects the administration to continue testing the limits of its authority to prosecute Trump's enemies.
"They don't have anybody holding them back, and so they're going to do it as long as they can and as much as they can," she added.
