Rough Justice

Beria, the feared head of Stalin's secret police once said ....

Stalin And Beria Knew How To Run Justice Their Way

.... 'You show me the man, and I'll show you the crime.'

This is an idea that both Presidents Putin and Trump have decided is as good now, as it was then. Indeed, as Jesus himself said on one occasion, "Let he among you who is without sin cast the first stone." So the idea that we have all performed some misdemeanor that others might construe as a sin or crime is not new.

However, to use this as a political tool with which to weaponize an entire justice system is usually an act by Communist tyrants (since the very beginning of communism ... oddly justice has never been part of that political system) and Autocrats everywhere.

So, for example, you would expect this political misuse of justice to be the case for justice in China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and, of course, the hereditary Communist state of North Korea, as well as Putin's Russia. You also might expect it in the Muslim world, such as hard-line Iran and Saudi Arabia, as well as slightly more democratic Muslim countries such as Egypt. Even where there are nominally "democratic" states such as Turkey, its common for the government's version of what's justice and the expected verdict to usually prevail despite the evidence presented in court.

The United States of America of course has never been on that list, nor indeed ever thought of being able to be considered on that list. But that was then, and now is now .... Donald J Trump is a vengeful man and President, and has established a regime of willing acolytes to do his every bidding. This, of course, stretches to the Department of Justice and related bodies where the current and 87th Attorney General is Pam Bondi (Trumps hand picked handmaiden of choice). Under her rule the DoJ have embarked on a series of criminal actions against some of the former highest officials of both the Biden regime, and indeed those Trumps first presidency deemed to be disloyal (usually those who don't subscribe to the lie that the previous election was stolen from Trump).

The charges being lodged can often seem weak to downright petty (and indeed a number of officials have resigned over the weakness of the cases or in the case of New York Mayor Eric Adams, the order to drop a strong case of corruption for political reasons)... take for example the case of former national security adviser John Bolton. In the years since Trumps first term, he had drawn his ire for not backing some of Trumps assertions, and so was indicted in Maryland in October 2025, for allegedly mishandling classified information, by sharing diary entries about his time in the White House with family members i.e. His wife. 

Now, as he traveled with President Trump on every occasion, then simply by the act of telling his wife where he would be next week, etc, then technically, he was disclosing the Presidents location as well. But who has ever been prosecuted in any Presidents term for that?  .... no one.

Of course, Trump denied knowledge of the indictment, simply remarking about his former friend in his normal simplistic manner, "I think he's a bad guy." But lets be honest Mr Bolton is not the only one who is being prosecuted by the most weaponized Department of Justice in American history .... of course sooner or later the Democrats will get a President and a majority .... the question is do they then go for Trump and all his officials etc in revenge, or do they deescalate and bring in restrictions that prevent Presidents ever acting like Trump again?

I suspect the former but hope for the latter ....