Democratic Senator Chris Murphy (Conn.) claims President-elect Trump’s attempt to “cripple our democracy” is already begun.
In a lengthy post thread on social platform X on Tuesday, Murphy argued that it is “happening right in front of our eyes” and has “accelerated rapidly” in the last 24 hours.
“Can I take a minute to connect the dots – on how Trump is putting into action a plan to cripple our democracy in a way we may never recover from?” Murphy stated.
The senator was replying to a post from the Committee on House Administration’s Oversight Subcommittee, which outlined a GOP-led study that suggested a criminal inquiry into former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who served on the House panel that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol incident.
“He wasn’t kidding when he said Democrats were the no. 1 threat to America and needed to be dealt with by law enforcement and the military,” Murphy wrote on his blog. “Today House Republican’s referral of Liz Cheney for criminal prosecution – on made up charges – shows you the plan.”
Concerns about Trump potentially punishing his opponents have grown as he prepares to take office again. The president-elect has stated that members of the Jan. 6 committee that probed his involvement in the violence should “go to jail” for their efforts.
Murphy questioned who would defend Cheney and the others that Trump intends to pursue. He contended that Trump supporter Kash Patel, whom the president-elect has selected to oversee the FBI, will not.
“Kash Patel was chosen to lead the FBI BECAUSE he wants to prosecute Trump’s opponents,” Murphy said, adding that the courts will most likely not stand up for such targets either, because the Department of Justice can “handpick a jurisdiction” with a Trump-affiliated judge for the various cases.
“Not all of Trump’s opponents will fold, but many will. If you have a family at home, are you really going to stand up to Trump if you risk going to jail? Murphy posted. “History shows that selective prosecution of a regime’s opposition has a broad chilling effect.”
Murphy also brought up Trump’s ongoing legal disputes with the media.
The president-elect launched a lawsuit on Tuesday against The Des Moines Register and pollster J. Ann Selzer over a pre-election survey that showed him trailing Vice President Harris in Iowa.
Murphy said it was “stunning” that Trump filed the lawsuit because he didn’t like the poll’s results, adding that “we shouldn’t pretend this is normal.”
The president-elect also recently resolved a $15 million defamation case against ABC News after anchor George Stephanopoulos said on air that Trump had been convicted guilty for rape. A jury determined that Trump sexually abused and defamed writer E. Jean Carroll, but did not find him responsible for rape. The deal has received much scrutiny and criticism.
Murphy also cited The Washington Post’s contentious decision not to endorse a candidate in the 2024 election.
The senator added that Trump has stated that he would use the Federal Election Commission to contact journalistic companies. Murphy claimed that media companies have already demonstrated that they are “reluctant to put up a fight” against Trump.
“Is it possible that this is all bluster? Maybe, but the events of the previous several days – ABC’s fake settlement, Cheney’s referral for prosecution, and Trump’s lawsuit against the Register – all point to this being very, very real,” Murphy concluded.
The Hill has contacted the Trump transition team for comment.
