Lawfare 2024: The Left’s Strategy to Crush Free Speech and Fair Elections
The Left has a simple message for Conservatives, Christians, Republicans, or any freedom-loving patriot who doesn’t follow them in lockstep:
Sit down, shut up, and maybe we won’t sue you.
It’s a little advice from our liberal friends, a fear tactic to keep you in line – especially this election year.
Are you good with that?
We’re not – and we know you aren’t either, mamas. These well-funded ideologues want to shut you up and shut you down.
“Lawfare” is the term widely used to describe the way the Left is waging war using ginned-up charges, dragging political opponents, both elected officials, whistleblowers, and regular citizens into court with goals of distracting, depleting, and discouraging free speech – and free thought.
Trump Lawfare Takedown or Triumph?
Lawfare is at the center of almost every newscast right now as the mainstream media breathlessly covers the outrageous political circus-like prosecution of former President Trump. CNN even conducted a dramatic reading of the trial transcript. Riveting television.
Prosecutors tumble through the news cycle like a barrel of monkeys, each attempting to connect a loose and precarious chain of largely unrelated “evidence” to land a conviction for the former President. Their courtroom antics defy all legal wisdom – and common sense.
Will any potential conviction of the former President withstand appeal? Probably not. But that’s not the point. Because it doesn’t seem to be about any actual crimes, it appears to be about the 2024 election. They win by keeping President Trump off the campaign trail – and they win if they secure any conviction. Or so they think.
So far, their attempts to divide and conquer the Republican Party, hoping their relentless bad press will splinter and crush any solidarity behind the Trump campaign, has largely backfired. Support for Trump is galvanizing and growing, with many citizens recognizing the clown show for what it is.
Purely political.
Trump’s political persecution has captured the attention of the nation. But the government has been weaponized on an even larger scale to intimidate and silence people like you and me.
Just ask Joeylynn Mesaros.
Lawfare Against the Law Abiding
Joeylynn and her husband took part in a Trump Train in 2020. These caravans of vehicles flying American and Trump flags were happening nationwide. Some proud processions would attract dozens of vehicles and spectators who gathered with lawn chairs and flags to join the patriotic show of support for President Trump. These were joyful gatherings, with drivers adhering to the traffic laws and onlookers cheering as they passed. You may remember that there were also Trump boat parades, with hundreds participating in U.S. waterways.
The fun, celebratory nature of these groups attracted Joeylynn to the Trump Train group in her hometown of New Braunfels, Texas.
This particular group made the news when they pulled alongside a Biden campaign bus traveling through their city. The striking video hit the airwaves, and a narrative was built. Accusations flew through the media that the group attempted to force the Biden bus off the road. Of course, video evidence proves otherwise – and years after, several families, including Joeylynn’s, are facing a civil lawsuit brought by Democratic politicians. The legal battle is based on a twisting of the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 to attempt to make it fit a totally unrelated – non-crime. The original law forbade political intimidation of African Americans after slavery’s end. To say it’s a stretch to charge people based on this act – for simply flying a flag on a truck – is quite the understatement.
There was no crime. That’s why there were no criminal charges.
Yet, the civil lawsuit moves forward.
Joeylynn told us more about her story and where the lawsuit stands when we spoke with her on this week’s podcast.
2024 Lawfare – It’s Not About the Win, It’s About the Wounds
This sort of lawfare is a key weapon in the arsenal of the Left.
They know that often winning the case isn’t necessary to inflict devastating losses on their opponents. For ordinary citizens, it punishes those targeted – often bankrupting them – and makes them an example to others. Better be quiet. Better sit down. Better shut up.
Robert Costello is a lawyer who has been privy to much of what happened behind the scenes with the disbarred and discredited Michael Cohen, a “star” witness against President Trump. Robert summed up his theory behind the lawfare aimed at the Left’s political opponents – and everyday Americans who dare to speak up.
He explained, “Understand that to destroy a political rival, you need not convict that person of a crime; all you must do is leak the fact that the individual is being investigated for a particular crime, thereby destroying his or her reputation and causing that individual to incur legal fees to defend themselves. The net result is if you can destroy their reputation and bankrupt them with legal fees, you have effectively eliminated or canceled your opposition without ever convicting them of a crime or getting a civil judgment against them. This has to stop.” 1
This is a strategy to silence the Right. They can crush a reputation by alerting their media acolytes and filing lawsuits. With that, they can cause many to shrink in fear, perform the desired penance, and cower, unable to afford the fight.
Lawfare’s Kissing Cousin – Professional Destruction
A close relation to lawfare is professional destruction sometimes enacted upon federal employees expected to comply with political conformity.
Most notable has been internal attacks on FBI whistleblowers. While there are supposed protections for these sorts of individuals who bravely call out problems, these safeguards are easily sidestepped by the Bureau.
Stephen Friend shared his story at the Weaponization of U.S. Government Symposium hosted by The Heritage Foundation last month. As an FBI Special Agent, when he learned that an Orlando resident was targeted for arrest over the ongoing January 6th investigation and would be taken with a SWAT-style raid planned, Stephen was concerned. The suspect had been interviewed 18 months earlier and agreed to comply with anything needed for the investigation. Then, after a year and a half, plans were in place to have a heavily armed force conduct a surprise raid and arrest at his home.
“We were going to send a tactical team with a bear cat to arrest him, and that to me presented an unnecessary risk to his safety, [and] to our safety,” recalls Stephen.
When he raised a concern about using such overwhelming force with a compliant suspect, an investigation was immediately launched against Stephen, and soon, he was stripped of his security clearance and put on unpaid administrative leave – indefinitely.
Another agent, Garret O’Boyle, suffered the same “suspension” inflicted suddenly and found himself homeless with his wife and two-month-old child. They are joined by a handful of other agents who dared to attempt to blow the whistle on corruption in the agency. Together, they call themselves the “Suspendibles.” 2
Lawfare Against Election Integrity
President Trump’s many legal battles timed for election year are the most in-your-face example of hijacking the legal system to manipulate this Fall’s vote. These are just a drop in the bucket of lawsuits aimed at the heart of our free and fair elections.
Over the last few years, several states have sought to strengthen the integrity of their election process. Some (like Georgia) have passed laws requiring proof of citizenship. Arizona passed bills in 2021 to clean up the voter rolls and to provide for ongoing maintenance of the list – and a provision to limit voting to U.S. Citizens. Seems logical.
Both states have been sued on multiple occasions over these commonsense election safeguards. Who could be against these improvements? Various leftist organizations, the Biden administration, and the Democratic National Convention (DNC), have been involved in trying to scuttle these attempts at voting integrity.
Conservative organizations are also finding themselves under investigation, with the seeming end goal to intimidate and silence those who would join, support, or fund these entities.3
Funny how these always seem to go in one direction. Democrats seem to want ever-loosening practices with our elections, and Republicans (for the most part) champion simple, commonsense rules to keep elections clean, fair, and, most importantly – accurate. Most Americans don’t want dead people voting – fake people voting – or non-citizens. Simple.
What Can We Do?
Be Wise.
Get involved, but don’t be sucked into anything that seems wrong to you. Don’t break the law, but don’t be intimidated. Your effort to exercise your freedom of speech could protect that right when it’s your kids’ turn to lead America.
Be Civil.
Humor is good – but don’t turn into the mean-spirited people we rail against on the Left. Think about what you say and what you post. But don’t be silenced.
Be Bold.
Sometimes, you may feel it’s risky to wave that flag, sign a petition, or speak out at a school board meeting, but your patriotic fervor is needed. Prayerfully speak up, and don’t back down.
Be Brave.
Do everything with courage, obey the law, and exercise your rights. America is home of the brave. It’s our turn to carry that banner, mamas.
Stick Together.
We must galvanize. This election must see an overwhelming win for President Trump to take our nation back from the chaotic, disastrous last four years. Don’t be swayed. You may not enjoy his Tweets, but we all enjoyed the strong economy, lack of war, low gas prices with energy independence, and the closed border.
Chaos and clamor as the election season heats up is probably inevitable. This is our time to get involved and overwhelm all attempts to silence us. You can start by learning about our MomVote initiative and getting involved with us to empower moms nationwide. Our nation hangs in the balance. Freedom, sanity, and an end to the misuse of our judicial system with this lawfare craze could be on the other side of November 5th.
Let’s stand together. Are you in?
1 Robert J. Costello Testimony
2 youtube.com Weaponization of US Government Symposium
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