Former President Donald Trump was thwarted from blocking the transfer of power in 2020 in part because civil servants refused to carry out the orders of his loyalists, like former DOJ Civil Division head Jeffrey Clark. But Trump has already signaled if he wins in 2024, he will reshape the executive branch to ensure his allies will have absolute power to carry out his commands and whims.
Trump-skeptic conservative analyst Charlie Sykes outlined exactly why this matters on MSNBC Friday.
"Charlie, just to put a fine point on it, Jeffrey Clark is believed to be co-conspirator number 4 in the indictment," said anchor Alicia Menendez. "I want to read the section where he appears to be mentioned. 'The Deputy White House Counsel reiterated to Co-Conspirator 4 there had not been outcome-determinative fraud in the election and that if the Defendant remained in office nonetheless there would be, quote, 'riots in every major city in the United States.' Co-Conspirator 4 responded, 'Well, [Deputy White House Counsel], that's why there's an Insurrection Act.' Your thoughts?"
"Yeah, I was thinking about that passage when you were having the discussion," said Sykes. "Jeffrey Clark — that there was a possibility of violence if they executed the coup, and he was completely okay using the U.S. military to put down — to put down the opposition, putting American soldiers on the streets of American cities."
"Donald Trump is telling us exactly what he intends to do," said Sykes, quoting a moment at this year's Conservative Political Action Conference in which Trump said, "I am your retribution."
"He would weaponize the federal government to go after the people who says has have gone after him," said Sykes. "If you have people like Steve Bannon and Mr. Clark in power, there are no checks and balances anymore. I do think that a second Trump term is not like the first Trump term, and there's nothing normal about it. I think it was the Miami Herald that had an editorial, that he's saying a second term would be 'one-man rule,' but based on this kind of cruelty, this kind of brutality, with people who are willing to countenance this kind of criminality."
Watch the video below or at the link right here.
Charlie Sykes says second Trump term would be "one-man rule"www.youtube.com
