GOP Downplays Cases Against Democrats In Attacks On ‘Rigged’ Justice System

WASHINGTON ― Republicans are rallying around Donald Trump in the wake of his unprecedented conviction in New York, claiming that the U.S. justice system is being “weaponized” for political purposes to specifically tear down the former president, who is running for another term in the Oval Office.

“The prosecution of President Trump wasn’t about justice. It was about weaponizing the Democrat-controlled Justice Department to attack their political opponent,” Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said during a press conference on Tuesday.

Trump isn’t the only high-profile figure who is in legal trouble amid an election year, however. Longtime Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez (N.J.), who recently switched parties; Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar (Texas); and President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter; are also facing federal charges, with both Menendez and Biden standing trial this week.

When HuffPost pointed this out to Trump-supporting GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week, they doubled down on their “weaponization” claims and said there was reason to cast doubt on the justice system writ large.

“It does look like from time to time the DOJ has been guilty of having political motives ― I guess every layer, not just the Department of Justice ― but every layer of justice seems to have a little bit more political play than it has in the past,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told HuffPost.

“You gotta cast a skeptical eye toward all of it right now,” he added.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), another member of the Senate judiciary committee, said the DOJ has “gone from sticking their big toe in the water to jumping in the deep end.”

“It seems the courts are involved in every election that’s occurring, and I don’t