“Dozens of local and state Republican leaders who showed their loyalty to Donald Trump by casting fake electoral votes for him a year ago may now face prison time in return for that devotion,” Huffington Post reported on Thursday, January 27, 2022 (read story here).
That’s because “the 59 ersatz Trump electors who claimed to be ‘duly elected and qualified’ could face federal charges ranging from election fraud to mail fraud, in addition to a range of state-level charges,” Huffington Post said.
And Trump won’t have their backs. All past experience suggests he wouldn’t even if he could. He demands unstinting loyalty, but gives nothing in return. He protects only his immediate family. So why would anyone risk having a criminal record, and possibly doing jail time, for him? I don’t get it. The fierce loyalty of his followers is beyond my understanding.
Michigan’s attorney general has said, “This is a crime,” and a former federal prosecutor suggested the legal exposure of participants in the scheme could be 20 years in prison, although first-time offenders rarely get the maximum.
And so far, none of the “ersatz” electors has been charged by any jurisdiction. State and federal investigators are looking into whether any laws were broken. Ultimately, juries would determine guilt or innocence.
It’s not a “political witch hunt” if they broke laws, and investigation and prosecution is carried out professionally, impartially, and in a non-partisan manner. The fact politics is involved shouldn’t make anyone above the law.
On the other hand, it goes without saying that the laws should apply equally to everyone, and the legal system should treat everyone the same. If Democrats did this I would expect them to be subjected to the same scrutiny, prosecution, and penalties. Otherwise, justice is not blind, and the public would lose respect for the legal system.