Justice or Vengeance?

On September 20, Trump posted a lengthy demand on Truth Social that Attorney General Pam Bondi prosecute former FBI Director James Comey, Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

“They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done,” he claimed, adding, “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility.”

“They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”

“If given the opportunity, I will get even with some people that were disloyal to me,” Trump told Charlie Rose in a 1992 interview.

I am concerned that many Americans don’t know the difference between justice and vengeance.

Trump was investigated and prosecuted for actual crimes he committed. But not at the request of Biden.

Our justice system is supposed to be insulated from presidential desires. Nixon fired the Watergate Special Prosecutor Cox. That was one of many acts that led to Nixon’s forced resignation.

Years later, Clinton was investigated for the failed Whitewater business deal. No crimes were found, but prosecutors kept digging in unrelated areas. Eventually Clinton was impeached for lying about sex. Henry Hyde led the impeachment. He was later asked if this was “payback” for Watergate. He said, “I can’t say that it wasn’t.”

Justice is about the public interest. Vengeance is about personal anger. Justice restores order. Vengeance creates an endless cycle of retaliation. There is no single test to tell the difference, but here are some guidelines.

1. Impartiality: Would I judge this case the same way if the roles were reversed?
2. Proportionality: Trump said, “If someone screws you, screw them back 10 times harder.”
3. Motivation: Justice is based on evidence and concern for the common good. Vengeance is about making the other side hurt for personal satisfaction.
4. Purpose: Justice restores order. Vengeance asserts dominance.
5. Process: Is there a fair hearing?
6. Moral Fruit: Justice produces peace, trust, and closure. Vengeance breeds more vengeance.

When Charlie Kirk was assassinated, there was much debate about whether his hateful speech created an atmosphere of violence that came back to bite him. But I am more interested in his view of justice.

Kirk said, “As far as other death penalties, I think what some of those guys did to Donald Trump, to use the instruments of government to destroy the constitutional order, that should be under consideration.” In other words, using the justice system for its intended purpose might be grounds to execute someone.

The whole point of a functioning justice system is to make violence and vengeance unnecessary. Trump spent much of his life breaking civil and criminal laws, rarely being held accountable. He called for hecklers at his rallies to be “roughed up” and to “knock the crap out of them.” He lawlessly uses his presidency for private profit. And he incited a mob in January 2021 that went on to attack the U.S. Capitol.

Painstaking law enforcement work led to the prosecution of hundreds of violent participants in that attack. But Trump was never prosecuted for his role. And then Trump pardoned nearly 1,600 of those who were convicted, or were awaiting trial or sentencing.

Now Trump is waging a war against those who tried to hold him accountable.

Trump went on to commute George Santos’ seven-year sentence for fraud and identity theft. Trump posted, “Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!”

This is the mirror of vengeance: Providing favors to actual criminals simply because they are loyal.

If we are ever going to move forward in this country, there has to be an acknowledgment of valid justice, regardless of political side. I can admit that these Democrats deserved prosecution: Senator Bob Menendez, Governor Rod Blagojevich, Mayor Eric Adams. Ironically, Trump undid the prosecutions of Blagojevich and Adams. Not to remedy an injustice. But to reward personal loyalty
to Trump.

Trump’s worst crime was trying to overturn the 2020 election. That was an attack on our very system of government. Justice utterly failed to hold him accountable. We need real justice and public understanding of what that means.