"Judging from recent statements, actions, and policy directives, President Donald Trump seems set on twisting the law into a weapon against his political critics-and using the military as its chief agent of enforcement. In short, he is laying the groundwork for a police state, and he is doing so in broad daylight, assuming that our constitutional guardrails will bend and fold, as they often have under more-piecemeal pressures since his second presidency began just nine months ago."
"The clearest statement of Trump's intentions is a "presidential action" issued on Sept. 25, "Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence," also known as National Security Presidential Memorandum/NSPM-7. The document begins with a false assertion-that in recent years "heinous assassinations and other acts of political violence" have "dramatically increased," citing the assassination of Charlie Kirk ("cheered" by some "who adhered to the alleged shooter's ideology"), the killing of a health care executive, and the assassination attempts against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Trump himself."
Recent executive actions and policy directives seek to repurpose law enforcement and the military to target political opponents. A presidential memorandum, NSPM-7, redefines domestic terrorism using selective examples and dubious claims of increased political violence. The memorandum highlights assassinations and attempts while omitting significant right-wing plots and the Jan. 6 violence, signaling partisan application. The directives lack new statutory law but direct executive practice, creating potential legal challenges. Courts can strike actions without solid legal footing. The broader risk is erosion of constitutional safeguards if institutions fail to resist politicized enforcement.
Read at Slate Magazine
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