As anyone who read the indictments from special prosecutor Jack Smith or Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis could attest, the evidence against Donald Trump is overwhelming in both the federal and Georgia cases involving the attempted theft of the 2020 election. But even if you haven't read a word of either, one could surmise the seriousness of the situation from the way Republican leaders are reacting. Trump's defenders are lashing out with the favorite rhetorical device of authoritarians everywhere: Psychological projection.
Take, for instance, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., blabbering on about impeachment inquiries into the baseless conspiracy theories about President Joe Biden. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, is making impotent threats of retaliatory investigations. Meanwhile, Republicans, like Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia, are seeking to shield Trump from his legal woes by hijacking must-pass government funding legislation to hinder prosecutors who have successfully secured indictments of Trump. The already shrill tones emanating from Republicans on all levels are reaching glass-shattering decibels. Unfortunately, as is usually the case, they're looking for innocent victims to take their frustration out on — and in some states, the victim is the concept of democracy itself.
