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The Era of ‘Vengeance Lawfare’ Is Upon Us
Comey’s first day in court demonstrated how absurd and dark Trump’s need for vengeance is (and how utterly incompetent Lindsay Halligan is).
Far-right and fascist governments throughout history have regularly latched onto episodes of political violence and terrorism — real or contrived — as a pretext for repression, to silence dissent, and to destroy constitutional rights.
One of the most infamous such instances is the Reichstag Fire of 1933 in Germany. The Reichstag building in Berlin, home of the German parliament, was set ablaze late in the evening on Feb. 27, just four weeks after Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor.
Though he now headed the government, Hitler and his Nazi Party did not yet have dictatorial power; other parties still existed and sat in the parliament, including the Social Democratic Party, the Communist Party, and a handful of right-wing and centrist parties. What the Nazis needed was an excuse to crush their political opponents; the Reichstag fire gave them just what they wanted (Reichstag Burns).
Donald Trump sent a private note to Attorney General Pam Bondi two weeks ago, asking her what the hell was taking her so long to go after Trump’s enemies. Trump regards as an enemy anyone…
