Submitted by Carl Lancaster, Greenwich
After reading the latest editorial from Dan Quigley titled, “Undermining Our Institutions for Political Gain Is Extremely Dangerous,” (June 2, 2024) I am left scratching my head.
He loudly complains about the list of Republicans who have been critical of the recent trial of President Trump, claiming that it has eroded peoples’ trust in the judicial system. He seems willfully clueless about the Democrats using the legal system as a weapon against President Trump. He ignores the fact that Alvin Bragg and Latita James both ran for their offices specifically promising to ‘get Trump.’ He ignores the fact that while Bragg has failed to prosecute many serious crimes in New York city, he has decided to pour enormous resources into the prosecution of Trump. And also, he conveniently ignores the fact that Judge Merchan has made donations to the Democratic party, something he should not be doing as a judge as it creates the appearance of impropriety. His obligation as a judge was to recuse himself. He did not. His final instructions to the jury to find Trump guilty of any of the charges and that unanimity was not necessary flies in the face of centuries of American and Anglo-Saxon jurisprudence going back to the Magna Carta. Oh, and let’s not forget that Judge Merchan’s daughter, a democratic operative, has been raising millions from this trial, again creating the appearance of impropriety. Her big donors were even allowed to sit in court on the final day of the trial. And lastly, how was Judge Merchan ‘randomly’ assigned out of more than 40 judges to three of cases involving Donald Trump. Just asking…
Mr. Quigley wonders why people are losing confidence in our judicial institutions. Most reasonable people with a modicum of critical thinking see through this charade. This is why many people, including independents, are breaking toward Donald Trump, especially when combined with Joe Biden’s manifest incompetence as a leader.
Mr. Quigley also laments the days when ‘political leaders, in the face of defeat, chose grace, courage and an unwavering belief in our democratic institutions. It’s a shame he could not have followed his own advice when he was defeated as the RTC chairman two years ago. Instead of gracefully accepting defeat and working with the newly elected leadership, he has been on a letter writing campaign ever since, whining about the ‘MAGA’ extremists who supposedly had taken over the Greenwich Republican party and undermining republican candidates at every turn. The Republican rank and file were simply tired of his brand of leadership that refused to listen to a large number of Republicans in town who had legitimate grievances about the Democratic-lite positions being taken by so many Republicans. If Republicans want to win elections, they are going to have to put some differences aside, check their egos and be united.
I would agree that our institutions are being undermined. It is progressive democrats who are using our institutions as weapons of revenge – lawfare – against Trump or anyone else who stands in the way of their radical ideologies and desire for power, the Constitution be damned.