JUST IN: Mike Lee Slams Conviction Of Donald Trump, Claims Judicial System Has Been 'Weaponized'

6 months ago

During remarks on the Senate floor, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) spoke about the conviction of Donald Trump in his NYC hush money case.

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Transcript

00:00 >> Madam President, I first want to echo the kind words offered by the Majority Leader

00:05 toward the pages.

00:07 As a former Senate page myself, I know that this is a job that few people notice on the

00:13 outside, but we notice it here.

00:15 They make sure things run well here, and I'm grateful to know these fine people.

00:19 I hope they had a good time while they were with us.

00:22 And so to each of you, I wish you the very best of luck as you pursue future careers

00:28 and look forward to seeing some of you sitting in these chairs one day.

00:32 As I entered this chamber shortly after being elected to the Senate in 2010 for my orientation,

00:36 I was told to take a seat in the chairs.

00:39 I couldn't take the seat.

00:40 I couldn't figure out why.

00:42 And then I remembered my training from the time when I was a page taught me never, ever,

00:46 ever to sit in the Senator's chair.

00:48 Only then did I realize it's probably okay now because I just got elected.

00:52 Anyway, I wish you the best of luck.

00:55 Madam President, the conviction of President Donald Trump is a clear manifestation of the

01:02 fact that our justice system has been weaponized against us, against the American people.

01:08 This was a political persecution aimed squarely at one thing and one thing only, preventing

01:16 President Trump from challenging the current administration in this presidential election.

01:22 Now let's just examine the facts, just the basic irrefutable facts.

01:29 The proceedings against President Trump were marred by unclear charges and irregular jury

01:36 instructions, making it evident from the very beginning that this trial was not about the

01:41 pursuit of justice.

01:43 It was not about the objective demands of the law.

01:46 No, it was a choreographed act of partisan lawfare intended to dismantle the political

01:54 rights of an individual who stands as the principal opponent, I would dare say the sole

01:59 remaining obstacle to President Joe Biden becoming a second term president.

02:06 He's the last person, the last man, the last object standing in the way of President Biden's

02:12 second term.

02:14 And so that fact all by itself signals something, signals something we haven't seen before,

02:21 signals something that I wish we never had seen in our republic and that I certainly

02:25 hope we never see again.

02:28 The hypocrisy of this is just palpable.

02:32 Democrats and their allies in the media have long accused President Trump of undermining

02:38 American norms and traditions, of all these supposedly norm-shattering actions, yet they

02:45 now champion a prosecution that reeks of the authoritarian tactics seen by the tin-horned

02:52 dictators in banana republics, the same banana republics and failed systems of government

02:58 that we have repeatedly sanctioned and shamed publicly with good reason.

03:04 In what country could a judge who, according to the New York Times, violated judicial ethics

03:11 when he donated to a group supporting President Biden's campaign and another called Stop Republicans,

03:18 that's literally the name of the group that he donated to, Stop Republicans.

03:23 In what world could that judge be allowed to preside over the trial of a former president,

03:30 a former republican president and chief political opponent of the incumbent democratic president?

03:37 Or how about Matthew Colangelo, another key figure in this prosecution?

03:48 How could that person be authorized to transition directly from a senior role in the Justice

03:54 Department under President Biden to lead the political prosecution of President Trump with

03:59 Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg?

04:02 This intertwining of judicial proceedings with partisan politics should alarm every

04:07 single American, regardless of your age, regardless of what part of the country you call home,

04:16 and frankly, regardless of your party affiliation.

04:19 Now let's not forget that Senator Schumer's brother, whose law firm has lent significant

04:25 legal firepower to this prosecutorial effort, now let's not forget that his brother is a

04:32 partner in the law firm, the law firm of Paul Weiss, Rifkin, Wharton and Garrison, the same

04:37 firm that granted three highly paid attorneys a paid leave of absence to join the Manhattan

04:44 District Attorney's Office, specifically in its targeting of Donald Trump.

04:50 Madam President, we cannot stand idly by and act as if this didn't just happen and pretend

04:57 that this whole endeavor hasn't changed, changed dramatically.

05:03 We can't pretend that this didn't occur, nor should we.

05:09 If we were observing such actions in another country, we'd be discussing sanctions and

05:17 shaming, perhaps a whole lot of other things, but certainly not silence.

05:23 We wouldn't see that.

05:25 Now as we prepare to honor the sacrifices made by the heroes on the beaches of Normandy,

05:32 we're reminded that those brave souls fought and died 80 years ago this week to defeat

05:41 dictators who ruthlessly wielded the power of the state, specifically to suppress and

05:47 persecute their political enemies and anyone else who they thought stood in their way.

05:54 What would those American heroes say if they saw an American president cheering on a kangaroo

06:01 court attempt to imprison his political rival, his sole impediment to a second term in the

06:10 Oval Office?

06:11 Would they recognize the America they fought for?

06:17 It is with their sacrifice in mind that I call upon every member of this chamber to

06:23 make it clear that we're unwilling to aid and abet this White House in its project to

06:29 tear the country apart.

06:33 Now Pandora's box is open and the sword of Damocles hangs over the neck of our great

06:43 republic.

06:46 If we can muster even a fraction of the courage shown by the greatest generation on June 6,

06:54 1944, 80 years ago tomorrow, we may still change course.

07:02 There is still time.

07:05 They can still stand down on this.

07:07 There are more instances of reversible error in this case underlying this conviction than

07:13 I have time to recite in these remarks.

07:16 For that reason alone, it would be very easy for the prosecution to confess error on appeal.

07:25 There's still time, but there's not much time left.

07:29 Let's put this genie back where it belongs and never, ever let it come back.

07:35 I ask you, join me.

07:38 Join me and fight.

07:40 Push back on this while there is still time.

07:42 Thank you, Madam President.

JUST IN: Mike Lee Slams Conviction Of Donald Trump, Claims Judicial System Has Been 'Weaponized'

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