Vengeance Is the Word

Susan Estrich on Apr 17, 2025

As a candidate for president, Donald Trump constantly complained about the "weaponization" of the Justice Department, arguing that its prosecution of him was politically motivated. But as president, Trump has weaponized the entire federal government, to investigate and punish those he considers the "enemy from within" -- whether it is current or former employees of the government, law firms that have crossed him, states and cities that cross him, universities that value academic freedom that he wants to squelch, or judges that rule against him.

During Trump's first term, Chris Krebs ran the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. After the election, he did what every court that heard a challenge to the 2020 election did: He affirmed that there was no evidence that the election results were fraudulent. Last Friday, Trump issued a proclamation declaring that Krebs should be investigated because he "falsely and baselessly denied that the 2020 election was rigged and stolen." Miles Taylor, a former Homeland Security official from the first Trump administration, was also targeted for investigation by proclamation. His sin: He wrote that there was "resistance" among government officials to some of Trump's policies. The message: Resistance will not be tolerated, whether it was in the first term or the second.

Erez Reuveni has been a Justice Department lawyer for almost 15 years and was recently promoted by the Trump administration as acting deputy director of the Office of Immigration Litigation. He was in court in the case of Abrego Garcia, who was sent to the infamous prison in El Salvador even though he had a valid court order that he not be deported there. The government admitted that it was an "administrative error," but argued that it would be too difficult to return him, an argument that the lower court -- and ultimately the Supreme Court -- rejected. Reuveni made that argument, but when asked by the judge whether it was the case that Garcia should not have been deported in the first instance, he agreed. What was he supposed to say? For that, he was suspended by the Justice Department.

As the attorney general explained on Fox News: "I firmly said on Day 1, I issued a memo that you are to vigorously advocate on behalf of the United States. Our client in this matter was Homeland Security -- is Homeland Security. He did not argue. He shouldn't have taken the case. He shouldn't have argued it, if that's what he was going to do. He's on administrative leave now." This is the rule, she said: "You have to vigorously argue on behalf of your client." Even when your client is admittedly wrong and has acted unconstitutionally.

He has threatened judges who rule against him with impeachment, prompting a rare rebuke from the chief justice. He doesn't care. Federal judges are literally putting their lives on the line to uphold the law. And Trump and his BFF Elon Musk stoke those flames.

On the same day as he signed the proclamations against Krebs and Taylor, he bragged about how many law firms who opposed him in the past had lined up to come to him and make deals. What does that prove? Bullies get their way. Threats to destroy a firm work. Even when the threats are unconstitutional.

The list goes on. Maine Gov. Janet Mills had the courage -- or, in Trump talk, the audacity -- to stand up to Trump on the issue of transgender girls participating in sports, which is protected by state law. USDA had already tried to cut off funding to Maine as punishment, and on Friday, the Department of Education said it would "initiate an administrative proceeding to adjudicate termination of MDOE's federal K-12 education funding, including formula and discretionary grants," as well as refer the case to the DOJ. Small Business Administration administrator Kelly Loeffler announced the closure of multiple offices in cities "that do not comply" with ICE efforts and relocate them elsewhere. The targeted cities are Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, New York City and Seattle.

Students who protest now know that their visas will be revoked. Universities are the latest targets. Extortion works. A reign of terror works.

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To find out more about Susan Estrich and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.