Example Image
Civitas Outlook
Topic
Politics
Published on
Jan 27, 2022
Contributors
John Yoo
Victoria Toensing

Prosecute the Architects of Trump Lawfare for Election Interference

Contributors
John Yoo
John Yoo
Senior Research Fellow
John Yoo
Victoria Toensing
Victoria Toensing
Victoria Toensing
Summary
Rather than revenge, the Justice Department should defend the constitutional rights of candidate Trump and his voters.
Summary
Rather than revenge, the Justice Department should defend the constitutional rights of candidate Trump and his voters.
Listen to this article

In his second inaugural address, President Donald Trump declared that the “weaponization of our Justice Department and our government will end” and that he would “re-balance” the scales of justice. He now faces an important decision: whether to investigate the founders of the lawfare campaigns against him — beginning with New York Attorney General Letitia James and New York City District Attorney Alvin Bragg. He would have at his disposal the same legal theory that the Biden Justice Department constructed just for him: interfering with the presidential election deprived Americans of their constitutional rights to run for office and vote.

Special Counsel Jack Smith announced this unprecedented theory by charging Trump with depriving all Americans of their voting rights by challenging the outcome of the 2020 election.

The demise of independent counsels, which had a very low threshold to trigger appointment, illustrates how Democrats respond when feeling the sting of onerous investigations. Democrats loved the 1978 Independent Counsel Act, which was used five times against the Reagan administration and twice against George H.W. Bush. It was “good government” until it wasn’t. When the Clinton administration got hit with seven independent counsels, enough was enough. Democrats cheered its expiration in 1999, having discovered it was too costly.

Continue reading the entire article at The Federalist

10:13
1x
10:13
More articles

Proxy Firms Don’t Have to Disclose Conflicts. That Should Change

Politics
Aug 17, 2026

An Unsurprising Term from an Unsurprising Court

Constitutionalism
Aug 17, 2026
View all

Join the newsletter

Receive new publications, news, and updates from the Civitas Institute.

Sign up
More on

Politics

Is American Nationalism Still Creed-able?

We are not there now, but there is reason to worry that the United States is in danger, if we are not careful, of ceasing to be a nation with the principles of 1776 at its core.

Richard Samuelson
Politics
Apr 29, 2026
National Civitas Institute Poll: Americans are Anxious and Frustrated, Creating a Challenging Environment for Leaders

The poll reveals a deeply pessimistic American electorate, with a majority convinced the nation is on the wrong track.

Politics
Feb 19, 2026
Liberal Democracy Reexamined: Leo Strauss on Alexis de Tocqueville

This article explores Leo Strauss’s thoughts on Alexis de Tocqueville in his 1954 “Natural Right” course transcript.

Raúl Rodríguez
Politics
Feb 25, 2025
Long Distance Migration as a Two-Step Sorting Process: The Resettlement of Californians in Texas

Here we press the question of whether the well-documented stream of migrants relocating from California to Texas has been sufficient to alter the political complexion of the destination state.

James Gimpel, Daron Shaw
Politics
Feb 6, 2025

The Three Whiskey Happy Hour

Steven Hayward brings you the Power Line Blog's perspective on the week's big headlines.

View all
** items
Proxy Firms Don’t Have to Disclose Conflicts. That Should Change

The firms whose advice can move those votes bear no comparable duty for the advice itself. States can close that gap by applying an enduring standard from the Supreme Court.

Michael Toth
Politics
Aug 17, 2026
Texas May Soon Have More People Than California — Here’s Why

California natives are voting with their feet.

Joel Kotkin
Politics
Aug 16, 2026
California is an American Nightmare – and the Future of the US Left

The once-Golden State is home to the two leading contenders for the 2028 Democratic nomination. It’s also a basketcase

Joel Kotkin
Politics
Aug 16, 2026
How Occupational Licensing Hurts the Poor and Holds Back Growth in America and Around the World

Occupational licensing hurts the poor and holds back growth in America and around the world.

Jonathan Hartley
Politics
Aug 10, 2026

Disgraced DEI Professor’s Story Exposes ‘Institutional Rot’ in Universities, Critic Says

Politics
Aug 11, 2026
1:05

DSA Co-Chair Struggles to Explain Millionaire Tax Policy

Politics
Aug 10, 2026
1:05

Bill Maher Torches Dems, Tucker Carlson Builds Third Party

Politics
Aug 7, 2026
1:05

John Yoo Analyzes DOJ Crackdown on Massive COVID-19 Relief Fraud

Politics
Jul 31, 2026
1:05

If Fauci Lies to Congress, He Can be Prosecuted: Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General

Politics
Jul 28, 2026
1:05
No items found.
No items found.
Jimmy Lai: Apostle for Freedom

Jimmy Lai represents the best of what Hong Kong was.

Jonathan Miltimore
Politics
Aug 14, 2026
The Uses and Abuses of the Pardon Power

The recent flood of pardon controversies shows no signs of abating.

Brian C. Kalt
Politics
Aug 13, 2026
The Fall of Fauci

The greater the scope of authority granted to a single individual, by circumstance or deliberate action, the more important scrutiny and accountability become.

Phillip W. Magness, Edward J. Lopez
Politics
Aug 12, 2026
Can Britain’s Next Prime Minister Escape the Net Zero Trap?

Britain has burned through five Prime Ministers and is paying some of the highest electricity prices in the world.

Diana Furchtgott-Roth
Politics
Jul 8, 2026
No items found.