If you were to tell me that someone in politics is corrupt, criminally corrupt, I'd be open to believing you, but I wouldn't join you in calling for their head without a little something called evidence. Not your thoughts, not your conclusions, your women's intuition, or your Spidey sense tingling, I'd need proof. While there is no lack of haters of former President Donald Trump screaming at the top of their lungs about the former, the latter is where they lose not only me but should lose everyone.
These bogus made-for-TV January 6th Committee hearings are a prime example of how an unthinking group of people can be led down whatever path politicians want to prance them down. What's frightening is how so many Americans, particularly so-called journalists, are happy to goosestep right along with them.
I used goosestep not to shock but to illustrate their tactics. Lavrentiy Beria, the brutal head of Joseph Stalin's secret police, famously said, "Show me the man and I'll show you the crime," basically meaning the state can do whatever the hell it wants because it's the state. The state picks a target, then sets about to manufacture "crimes" to rid itself of said target.
I'm not saying Donald Trump is innocent. I'd no sooner declare a politician innocent as I would guilty. But he is not guilty unless and until he's proven guilty.
It's a quaint notion – innocence until proven guilty – and it used to be the cornerstone of our justice system. But this army of flying monkeys unleashed by the Wicked Speaker from the West isn't interested in American tradition or any concept of justice you're familiar with. They want to punish Donald Trump for existing to scare the hell out of anyone inclined to reflect fondly upon 1 percent inflation, $2 gas, energy independence, a secure border and affordable food. Those monsters!
I've lived long enough to know that if you're going to go into business with a billionaire, you'd better have damn good lawyers on your side or be prepared to be on the losing end of a deal if things go sideways. My whole life, I've read stories of how Donald Trump is being sued by this person or suing that person, whatever. I honestly don't care, I'm not going into business with him. I've also seen stories of his lack of fidelity in marriage (I've worked in DC for over 20 years, nothing like this shocks me anymore), but I didn't vote for him to be Pope, so I don't really care.
Yet, these things are used by leftists and Trump haters as proof that he must be corrupt. That's not how it works, or at least not how it's supposed to work.
Newsweek ran a piece this week entitled, "Will Trump Do Time? What It Would Take to Convict the Former President." In it, the author does what all of these Trump haters do: fail to even attempt to prove anything. "The mostly likely actions against Trump right now are federal charges stemming from his role in the attack on the Capitol, and both federal and state charges concerning his efforts to convince various officials—including then-Vice President Mike Pence—to fraudulently position Trump as the winner of the 2020 election," it reads.
There is no proof in it, anywhere. Not even an attempt at proof. It's the column equivalent of sitting around a faculty lounge at UC Berkeley or the staff lounge of the January 6th Committee – where someone says something everyone in there wishes to be true, so it's accepted as such. "Damn right," the heads nod. Actual dictators have nothing on these people.
Stalin, Mao, Hitler, Kim, Castro, you name the progressive tyrant, and you'll find a pile of bodies in their wake convicted with the same level of "evidence" – the "it just has to be true" standard.
I'm not such a fan of the former president that I think he's incapable of wrongdoing, I just need proof. I won't join in a lynch mob against anyone. But there is no proof. Someone testifying for 10 hours, then Liz Cheney playing 10 seconds of it out of context, isn't proof of anything other than the fact that Liz and the Democrats don't want you to see the other 9 hours, 59 minutes and 50 seconds of what they said.
There's a reason for that.
These people are desperate. They think the American people care, and they really don't. Just not for the reasons they think. We saw what happened on January 6th. A lot of it wasn't good, no doubt – idiots fighting with police need to be punished. But that was so few people. A lot more walked in open doors, doors held open by Capitol Police, and asked for directions to locations to get really good selfies. Was our republic threatened by that? Of course not.
But reality doesn't matter. Democrats are so terrified of facing voters this fall on their record that they're scrambling to find something else, anything else so they can point and scream at Republicans that "THEY ARE A THREAT TO DEMOCRACY!!!" They need to charge Donald Trump with something, anything, for that to stand a chance of helping them. Stalin is blushing.
The idea of a campaign run under the banner of "I know we suck, but they're worse" is not exactly something the majority of Americans will rally around. As more and more Democrats come to that realization, expect them to get even crazier. That's why I hope, no matter what Trump decides about 2024, he doesn't announce anything until AFTER the election. The prospect of Trump has them going insane in every direction, the reality of him (either way) would give them focus. When your enemy is destroying themselves, get out of the way and let them.
Derek Hunter is the host of a free daily podcast (subscribe!), host of a daily nationally syndicated radio show, and author of the book, Outrage, INC., which exposes how liberals use fear and hatred to manipulate the masses, and host of the weekly "Week in F***ing Review" podcast where the news is spoken about the way it deserves to be. Follow him on Twitter at @DerekAHunter.