Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, ousted from the Speakership last fall by right-wing agitators in his own party using a motion to vacate, continues to represent the party line — and even the MAGA strain of Republicanism that fought hardest for his removal.
Speaking on Fox News, McCarthy echoed the narrative that the legal cases against former President Donald Trump, who was indicted by four separate grand juries and faces 80-plus felony charges for numerous alleged crimes including trying to steal the 2020 election, are illegitimate. McCarthy contends that Trump’s trials — like the one that began this week in New York — are manifestations of a weaponized justice system marshaled to serve the Democratic Party’s interests.
Matching what Trump has consistently claimed with his social media megaphone, McCarthy asserts that the goal of the Trump trials is not about serving justice. Instead, he says, the trials are a bludgeon to handicap Trump’s ability to run for President.
Does anyone in America believe President Trump would be on trial today if he wasn’t running for president?
The blatant politicization of the rule of law by liberal prosecutors is a threat to democracy. pic.twitter.com/qyf1qwphfz
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) April 22, 2024
McCarthy starts out the segment below by saying “Let me ask everybody in America — does anybody in America believe President Trump would be on trial today if he wasn’t running for President?”
McCarthy answers the question himself. “Nobody believes that,” McCarthy asserts.
A new Siena poll released this week surveying New Yorkers revealed results that conflict with the former Speaker’s assertion. The poll, which found a majority of New Yorkers paying attention to the trial, found that “54% said the trial is ‘legitimate’ as opposed to 30% who believe it is a ‘witch hunt.’”
Newsday adds that “the poll found 77% of Democrats felt the trial is legitimate, while 66% of Republicans felt the trial of their presumptive nominee for president this year is a witch hunt. Among voters not enrolled in a major political party, 44% said the trial was legitimate compared to 37% who called it a witch hunt.”