GOP Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida forcefully rebutted Sunday the claims that if former President Donald Trump is elected to another term, he’ll use his position to target his political opponents.
Rather, it has been President Joe Biden’s administration that has been actively doing so, the senator asserted.
CNN “State of the Union” host Dana Bash asked Rubio whether he believed the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in the Trump election interference case recognizing presidents have immunity from prosecution for their official acts goes too far.
The decision was seen as mostly positive for the presumptive GOP nominee. The high court returned the case to the federal district court to determine which acts Trump took regarding the 2020 election and the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol incursion fell within the realm of his official acts.
“Are you comfortable with that [ruling]?” Bash asked.
“Well, first of all, I’m uncomfortable with the fact now that we have a president who targets political opponents. That’s what happened under Joe Biden,” Rubio responded.
The senator pointed out that but for the Biden Justice Department appointing Jack Smith as special counsel and his bringing the case against Trump last summer, the Supreme Court would not have had to rule on presidential immunity.
“Understand why this has become topical, why we now have to discuss this issue — because it is clear that we have reached an era where there are people in American politics who believe that our courts are now a weapon that can be used against their political opponents,” Rubio said.
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“You look at their efforts and what they’ve done in the courts to persecute and prosecute Donald Trump. They’ve tried to bankrupt him. They’ve tried to silence him. They’ve tried to jail him. They’ve gone after his allies every single day,” he said.
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Former Trump White House aides Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro are currently serving prison sentences because they would not cooperate with subpoenas issued by the Democrat-led House Jan. 6 committee. The former White House officials cited executive privilege in not complying with the committee’s inquiries.
The Biden DOJ prosecuted both of them in Washington and won convictions.
The department has declined to prosecute Attorney General Merrick Garland, former Attorney General Eric Holder and former Internal Revenue Service official Lois Lerner for defying congressional subpoenas issued by Republican-led House committees. The latter two occurred during former President Barack Obama’s administration.
“When Donald Trump was president, I can’t think of a single prominent Democrat who was chased around, persecuted, prosecuted. … It’s funny to me to read these people and hear these people out there warning about all the horrible things they ridiculously claim Donald Trump is going to do if he becomes president again,” Rubio told Bash.
“They are the ones that have been going after their political opponents,” he said. “Donald Trump has been the one that’s been very clear that his vengeance is going to be by winning and making America great again, not going after his political opponents. He said that in your debate that you hosted.”
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Bash responded, “There’s no evidence that Joe Biden has gone after political opponents. His Justice Department has …”
Rubio interjected, “The evidence is in the headlines every day.”
The CNN host pointed to the prosecution of Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey on public corruption charges as evidence that the DOJ is not acting in a partisan fashion in its decisions to bring criminal prosecutions.
“They only go after Democrats that don’t do everything the Democrats want them to do,” Rubio said.
Menendez, while chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, bucked the Biden administration on positions it had taken regarding easing sanctions on Cuba, Venezuela and Iran, according to The New York Times.
Bash circled back with Rubio on past statements Trump made about prosecuting political opponents.
In June 2023, shortly after Smith’s classified documents indictment against him was unsealed, the 45th president said in a video posted on Truth Social, “Now that the ‘seal’ is broken, in addition to closing the border and removing all of the ‘criminal’ elements that have illegally invaded our country … making America energy independent and even dominant again, and immediately ending the war between Russia and Ukraine — I will do all of that — I will appoint a real special ‘prosecutor’ to go after the most corrupt president in the history of the United States of America, Joe Biden, the entire Biden crime family, and all others involved with the destruction of our elections, borders, and country itself.”
“These people are destroying America, and they’re going to pay a price for it,” he said.
“NOW THAT THE “SEAL” IS BROKEN…I WILL APPOINT A REAL SPECIAL “PROSECUTOR” TO GO AFTER THE MOST CORRUPT PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE USA, JOE BIDEN, THE ENTIRE BIDEN CRIME FAMILY, & ALL OTHERS INVOLVED WITH THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR ELECTIONS, BORDERS, & COUNTRY ITSELF!” pic.twitter.com/4dbLb7INKm
— Shannon Ford 🇺🇸 (@shannonfordUSA) June 16, 2023
Rubio responded to Bash that Trump “has repeatedly said his revenge will be to make America great again, to undo all their bad public policies.”
“Donald Trump was president for four years,” the senator continued. “He didn’t go after Hillary Clinton. He didn’t go after Joe Biden. He didn’t go after Barack Obama. He didn’t go after any of their consultants. We didn’t see from him what we’re seeing now.”
