As Trump endorses his arrest, Newsom sees ‘unmistakable step toward authoritarianism'
In recent weeks, a Democratic mayor, a Democratic U.S. House member, the staffer of a different Democratic U.S. House member, a sitting judge and a labor leader have all been criminally charged, detained or taken into custody by Trump administration officials.
Will a Democratic governor join the list? The president apparently has an opinion on the matter.
Asked about whether Tom Homan, the administration's 'border czar,' should arrest California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Donald Trump told reporters: 'I would do it, if I were Tom. I think it's great.'
Just so we're all clear, there's no evidence that California's Democratic governor has broken any laws. No one in the administration has even accused Newsom of doing anything that would warrant criminal charges.
But to hear the sitting president tell it, it'd be 'great' if one of his perceived political foes were arrested anyway.
The comments did not come out of nowhere. Over the weekend, Homan suggested that state and local officials could face arrest if they interfere with federal agents carrying out immigration raids. Asked specifically whether that would include the governor or Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Homan didn't rule it out.
'I'll say it about anybody,' he said. 'You cross that line, it's a felony to knowingly harbor and conceal an illegal alien. It's a felony to impede law enforcement doing their job.'
Newsom appeared unimpressed. In an interview that aired on MSNBC, the California Democrat said, in reference to Homan, 'He's a tough guy. Why doesn't he do that? He knows where to find me. That kind of bloviating is exhausting. So, Tom, arrest me. Let's go.'
A day later, after Trump endorsed his arrest, calling the idea 'great,' Newsom wrote via social media: 'The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor. This is a day I hoped I would never see in America. I don't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican this is a line we cannot cross as a nation — this is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism.'
It's worth emphasizing for context that it's unlikely we'll see Newsom in handcuffs anytime soon. For one thing, there's no reason to believe he has committed any crimes. For another, Homan doesn't actually have any legal authority to arrest anyone, even if he wanted to, since a 'border czar' is basically just an advisory position.
Indeed, hours before the president's provocative comments, Homan appeared on Fox News and said there's been 'no discussion' about arresting the governor. He soon after added on MSNBC that he never actually even threatened to arrest Newsom (despite some evidence to the contrary).
None of that, however, makes Trump's rhetoric any less outrageous. Sitting presidents are not supposed to go around talking publicly about the arrest of officials who've done nothing wrong. Indeed, Trump's endorsement of Newsom's arrest comes just days after the president directed the Justice Department to investigate Joe Biden — an unprecedented step that Trump admitted was based on no evidence — which marked the third time in as many months that the Republican has sought formal investigations into perceived political foes.
The California governor's comments about 'unmistakable' steps toward authoritarianism resonated for a reason.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
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