In pursuit of Gallego, Trump’s Justice Department hasn’t earned the benefit of the doubt
As this week got underway, Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona received some welcome news: The Senate Ethics Committee had examined allegations raised by Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, but the panel found no evidence that Gallego “violated Federal law, Senate Rules, or related standards of conduct.”
However, the day soon took a more discouraging turn. Axios reported:
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is under federal investigation for suspected campaign finance violations, Axios has learned.
The investigation — which Gallego’s team cast as a partisan attack by a weaponized Justice Department — could cast a shadow over the freshman senator’s political future as he eyes a potential 2028 run for president.
A spokesperson for the Arizona Democrat acknowledged the existence of the investigation, but told Axios in a statement that Donald is targeting Gallego “while the most weaponized Department of Justice in history is turning a blind eye to Trump’s unprecedented corruption.”
The spokesperson added, “It’s the least surprising news of the week that this comes immediately after the Senate Ethics Committee cleared Senator Gallego of right-wing smears pushed by the administration.”
The pushback from the senator’s office resonated for a reason.
The Wall Street Journal recently put together a list documenting just how many times Trump’s Justice Department has gone after the president’s perceived political enemies, and the length of the list was striking.
“More than four dozen people have found themselves in the president’s crosshairs since he returned to office for a second term,” the report noted. “While most of the threats Trump has made on social media and in public comments haven’t led to prosecutions, some have translated into criminal cases or investigations.”
A week later, the list grew when the public learned that the Justice Department had begun scrutinizing California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his wife, and two weeks after that, the list grew again when Gallego’s office acknowledged another DOJ probe.
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Steve Benen is a producer for “The Rachel Maddow Show,” the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He’s also the bestselling author of “Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans’ War on the Recent Past.”
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