J.D. Vance / Gage Skidmore.
Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus expressed surprise at finding herself agreeing with something Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) said on Monday evening, calling his statement both “True — and terrifying.” In her column, Marcus highlighted a rare moment of agreement with Vance, who is former President Donald Trump’s running mate. Vance had emphasized that the most crucial role in a potential Trump-Vance administration, after the president, is “who we select as attorney general.”
Vance made the remark during an interview on ABC’s This Week. While discussing the significance of the attorney general’s position, Vance stated, “We really want the American people to believe that we have a fair and equitable administration of justice. If not, the entire sort of system falls apart. You need people to believe that if the attorney general prosecutes somebody, it’s motivated by justice and law, and not by politics.”
Marcus acknowledged that Vance’s statement was “factually correct” but quickly pointed out the contradiction, arguing that no one has done more to erode public trust in the rule of law than Donald Trump. She wrote, “Trump did his best to politicize the Justice Department in his first term; he has vowed to more than double down if he wins a second. But that hasn’t stopped him — dutifully amplified by Vance — from accusing the Biden administration of ‘weaponizing’ the criminal justice system against its opponents.”
Marcus also challenged the GOP’s claims that the Justice Department has been unfairly targeting Republicans. She highlighted that Attorney General Merrick Garland has prosecuted several high-profile Democrats, including Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), and New York City Mayor Eric Adams. These actions, she pointed out, contradict the narrative that Democrats have “weaponized” the Justice Department against Republicans.
As for Trump, Marcus noted that it wasn’t for lack of trying that his political opponents weren’t “locked up.” She reminded readers that Trump has publicly vowed to go after the “Biden crime family” and even suggested that Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) “frankly should have been put in jail.”
Vance’s response, according to Marcus, amounted to “legalistic sentence-parsing and brazen assertions about Trump’s supposed commitment to free speech.” She warned of the potential danger a future Trump administration poses with regard to the attorney general’s role. “In another Trump administration, if it comes to that, the attorney general will wield enormous power,” Marcus cautioned. “If you believe that official will be chosen to do anything other than follow Trump’s bidding, you haven’t been paying attention for the past nine years.”
In conclusion, Marcus reiterated her concerns over the future of the Justice Department, urging Americans to stay vigilant about the potential implications of a second Trump administration.
