Step aside traditional forms of legislative policy-making; lawfare is here, and it's not going away anytime soon.
Lawfare is defined as the practice of weaponizing the justice system or other regulatory measures to delegitimize or eliminate political opponents.
This once-unknown term is now a common practice by biased and politically motivated judges and district attorneys across this country.
The Democrats are using lawfare in their ‘sue til it turns blue’ strategy. They have weaponized this most notably against President Trump in their targeted criminal trials and recent guilty verdicts.
The Democrats have not stopped with Trump. Now, they are coming after anyone in Trump’s circle.
Hunter Biden is attempting to use lawfare in his lawsuits regarding his laptop against two former Trump officials. While Rudy Guiliani’s case was dropped, Hunter Biden is still targeting Garrett Zeigler, a former Trump aide.
Zeigler’s case is being heard by a judge appointed by Hunter Biden’s father. After the judge rejects a legally sound motion to dismiss, it is obvious whose side the judge is on.
Garrett is a former Trump administration official. Now that they have used every legal resource against the President, Democrats are beginning to make their way through Trump’s inner circle, quickly prosecuting those connected to Trump in an official capacity.
However, this practice is not new, nor is it used solely against national political figures.
Over the past fifteen years, Democrats have weaponized lawfare against religious and conservative non-profit organizations, small business owners, and everyday Americans.
Under President Obama, the IRS wrongly targeted traditional religious groups and non-profit organizations when applying for tax exemption status. The cases were eventually settled, with the IRS admitting fault. However, this settlement did not stop Democrats from embracing lawfare as legislative policy this past session.
In Virginia, nonprofit organizations committed to protecting history and supporting students, such as the Daughters of the Confederacy, were in danger of losing their tax-exempt status due to political lawfare from the Left. This exemption allows these groups to protect historic sites, support organizations such as the Wounded Warriors Project, and provide scholarships for underserved students in our communities.
To the Democrats, these groups are simply pawns in a political process aimed at dividing our communities and targeting organizations they know nothing about but for their names. But why stop there?
Like the gag order against President Trump, lawfare could be used to censure other politicians. How will policy benefit every American if only one side is heard? What is to stop the Democrats from censuring everyone they disagree with, no matter how small the disagreement is?
This is why our founders included the First Amendment. Without it, our democracy would fail.
Suppose this type of legislation were to become the norm. In that case, it will set a dangerous precedent that the Virginia legislature and all those policy-makers who practice this type of lawfare can turn their disagreements into legislation against their enemies.
This type of political persecution creates a precedent that if anyone disagrees with the teachings of a church, the religious organization could lose its tax-exempt status. State governments could wield such power to suppress our religious freedoms.
In the very First Amendment to our Constitution, our founders enshrined the right to religion, free from government interference. That sacred prose of our Constitution is again under threat as the Democrats find new ways to identify and target their political enemies.
In 2021, the federal government started searching through transactions for indicators it felt might indicate someone is an extremist. The keywords included in the search were ‘MAGA’, ‘Dick’s Sporting Goods,’ ‘Trump,’ and ‘Cabela’s.’
When did simply buying a tent at Cabela’s put you on a government extremist watch list?
Lawfare is being weaponized against our citizens as they try to support their conservative political candidates, shop at outdoor sporting goods stores, and donate to religious or nonprofit scholarship funds.
They started with Trump and those in his inner circle, but they have now moved on to all of us.
Nonprofit groups and everyday Americans across our country are being targeted with lawfare because of their political beliefs, leading many people to believe if they can do it to him, they can do it to us. November is quickly approaching, and if the news surrounding Biden’s cognitive health continues, expect Democrats to ramp up their persecutions to draw attention away from their flailing candidate.
Delegate Wren Williams (R-VA-47) currently serves in the Virginia House of Delegates and previously served as President Donald Trump's legal counsel in the 2020 Wisconsin recount.