Trump Should Overcome Legal Challenges to Make Success His Best Revenge

Jack Smith is stepping down, and we don’t require another one.

During his time in Joe Biden’s Department of Justice, the special counsel engineered a unique legal case against Biden’s main political rival and seemed poised to prosecute Donald Trump amid the presidential election.

This represented a blatant misuse of the legal system, as it was just one example of ongoing legal warfare against Trump and his associates in recent years.

With the Republicans about to return to the White House and Smith packing his bags, the pressing question is whether Trump will instigate a counter-campaign of legal warfare.

Let’s set aside the contradiction here: The same individuals who endorsed or remained silent during the prolonged legal targeting of Donald Trump are now convinced that it would jeopardize our entire governmental structure if Trump employed similar methods against his foes.

Nonetheless, it is important to note that the most probable early setback for the Trump presidency would arise from any attempts to retaliate against his adversaries.

Trump’s sentiments on this shift unpredictably.

He declares that achieving success is the best revenge, as he stated on “Meet the Press” recently, yet he also insists that members of the January 6 committee deserve jail time.

Recently, on Truth Social, Trump shared a heated message from ally Steve Bannon, warning that members of the January 6 committee, prosecutors, and judges should be aware that “we’re coming for you.”

On a podcast hosted by Bannon, Trump’s FBI director nominee Kash Patel mentioned pursuing media members “who aided Joe Biden in rigging presidential elections,” though he later diluted his comments.

Unless one of Trump’s rivals has committed a clear, undeniable crime, any move toward prosecution in this manner would be ill-advised: It would dominate political discourse, lack public support, and likely fail legally.

Whether we like it or not, the rules operate differently for both sides.

When Democrats partake in legal warfare, the media typically supports them—Robert Mueller, the special counsel for Russiagate, and Jack Smith were praised as champions of the law, relentless in their pursuit of Trump.

Whoever leads a Trump counter-assault would swiftly become Public Enemy No. 1.

Moreover, the electorate in November did not endorse a new cycle of partisan conflict through the legal system.

As Trump appropriately noted on “Meet the Press,” voters fundamentally wanted solutions to border control and grocery prices.

A fresh bout of legal warfare would be detrimental to the nation. Utilizing the legal framework for political purposes undermines trust in the system and unnecessarily heightens tensions.

Additionally, any exploitation of the Justice Department’s extensive powers is, by definition, wrong.

A claim sometimes made by MAGA supporters is that “they won’t cease their actions against us until we retaliate,” suggesting that political prosecutions could serve as a deterrent.

However, it is equally plausible that a new wave of legal warfare might entrench partisan justice into our political framework.

The rightful priority should be to preserve the Department of Justice from its misapplication, rather than to repurpose it for a series of new abuses for contrasting political agendas.

Trump is correct in asserting that success is the most effective form of retribution.

While a lesser politician might have been worn down by ongoing investigations, indictments, and trials, Trump harnessed these challenges to fuel his primary campaign, becoming even more of a symbol of resistance against his pursuers, ultimately overcoming the charges against him, both legally and politically.

This achievement is substantial and serves as a potent rebuttal to those who weaponized the justice system.

Now, Trump has the chance to deliver popular outcomes during his presidency that will bolster his position and weaken his opponents.

The guiding principle should be “defeat them, don’t become them.” Trump accomplished the former and would benefit from steering clear of the latter.

Twitter: @RichLowry