Trump’s Rule of Law

June 10, 2023

On Friday, special counsel Jack Smith unsealed an indictment against Donald Trump accusing him of hiding boxes of classified documents – including information on nuclear attacks that he gossiped about at his New Jersey golf club – and then lying about it. This makes Trump the first U.S. president to face federal charges, which is pretty remarkable considering he plans to run again. (Trump says he is innocent.)

More to the point, Trump’s indictment has unleashed the usual far-right army who live to come to Trump’s defense. One of those is future GOP Senate candidate and current Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, who told a group of French documentarians that he thought “Trump was a great president and I hope he runs again.” He went on to say that Americans are too “soft” and compared Trump to a junkyard dog. “If he came back, I would certainly support him.”

Lamb in his office.

Lamb posted a video on social media in which he explained that Trump’s indictment was contrary to the rule of law: “I believe in the rule of law and I believe in the justice system. And I believe in evidence. That’s what my career is based on.”

Then Lamb’s statement goes on.

It just again shows why honest Americans feel like the federal government, and especially law enforcement at the federal level, has been weaponized against the American people…What do you think they’ll do to you when they get YOU in their crosshairs and make YOU a target. We’ve got to come together as we the people and stand up and get back to the rule of law...Let’s stand up. Let’s stand together. 

What, indeed, might the FBI do to you if you abscond with nuclear weapons information of the highest possible classification level, refuse to return it, lie about returning it, tell others to lie about returning it, doctor some security footage, and move it around to make it harder to find? 

The indictment, like Trump, is both farcical and offensive. It accuses him of hiding boxes in a bathroom, a ballroom, and a basement, and it reflects a level of aggressively intentional fabrication to federal investigators that seems unsafe in the leader of a country – or even a citizen of a country.

Lamb’s video, on the other hand, is more of a call to arms. All I could think of was Trump’s exhortation to the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by,” which became a t-shirt slogan for the militia group.

Like Trump, Lamb has a way of mixing business and personal which makes me wonder when he does his actual job of managing a department. On top of his campaign for Senate, Lamb also attends gun shows and gun ranges as an influencer, speaks at various events for unknown amounts of compensation (for which you can contact his talent agent), ran a short-lived police television network, and leads an organization of elected sheriffs who tell the libs to pound sand.

In fact, Lamb was even a featured speaker at the Badger State (i.e Wisconsin) Sheriffs’ Association along with his wife. They presented a Mars/Venus talk: “Navigating the Sheriff’s World” and “Navigating the World of Being a Sheriff’s Spouse.” How much did the taxpayers donate to his war chest (or ammo budget) for that one?