The ultimate Trump test is near. Which side are you on, Republicans? | Opinion

Donald Trump may soon face justice for his actions leading up to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. He’s angry about it. Americans shouldn’t be.

Trump said Tuesday that he is a target in the grand jury investigation into efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, per a letter from special counsel Jack Smith, and believes an arrest and indictment are forthcoming.

“Deranged Jack Smith, the prosecutor with Joe Biden’s DOJ, sent a letter (again, it was Sunday night!) stating that I am a TARGET of the January 6th Grand Jury investigation, and giving me a very short 4 days to report to the Grand Jury,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

It’s the clearest indication yet that the Justice Department is looking to hold Trump himself accountable for what happened on and before the insurrection.

Good.

Of course, without any details, we can’t say whether an indictment is warranted. For one, we don’t yet know which crime(s) might be in an indictment. But last year’s Jan. 6 hearings, while certainly not criminal proceedings, helped detail the extent to which Trump was responsible for the attack on our democracy. After they concluded, many speculated whether the special counsel’s investigation would actually extend to Trump because of the thorny politics involved with prosecuting a former president — especially when the country remains somewhat divided on whether Trump’s actions before and on Jan. 6 rise to the level of criminal charges.

It’s clear, however, that the special counsel isn’t letting polls and politics get in the way of justice. He shouldn’t.

Still, Republicans will likely decry this development, the same way they have decried prosecution of Trump in the past. They will likely say, as they have before, that the justice system is being weaponized for political purposes. Already, GOP leaders like House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have suggested that this is only happening because Trump is rising in the polls, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called Smith a “weak little bitch for the Democrats” on Twitter. (We’ll repeat: we don’t even know what the allegations against Trump are yet.)

We do know this. It’s time for Republicans in North Carolina and beyond to answer this question:

Which side are you on?

There is an imminent indictment that will likely say the former president effectively tried to overthrow the government. For the past two years, there’s been a quiet civil war conducted by Republicans who are excusing those actions. Now they will have the opportunity — and the obligation — to declare what they believe about the 2020 election and the president who tried to nullify it.

There should be no wiggle room, no “he did some bad things but not criminal things.” There should be no deflecting Trump’s actions by questioning the motivation of those who question him. There is, quite simply, this: Do you believe the former president was justified in trying to stay in office, despite the fact that he clearly lost the election?

Trump, like any American, can and must be held responsible for his actions. That’s especially true when those actions may have been an attempt to nullify a valid election, a fundamental attack on our democracy. That’s not weaponizing justice. It’s protecting our country and the foundation it stands upon, and any suggestion otherwise is an attack on that foundation.

It would not be fair, either, for Trump to be immune to prosecution simply because he is a former president and current presidential candidate. For as much as Trump and his fellow Republicans crow about a “two-tiered justice system,” a true two-tiered system is one in which the wealthy and powerful escape deserved consequences.

Republicans have been tested before on their loyalty to Trump and their country. This is not just another test. It is the test. If Republicans defend Trump before hearing the details of the case against him, if they tell voters they should be angry about how Trump is being treated, they are enabling a narrative that the 2020 election was not valid. They are saying that a revolt against our democracy was excusable. They are defending the indefensible.

This story was originally published July 18, 2023 at 5:03 PM with the headline "The ultimate Trump test is near. Which side are you on, Republicans? | Opinion."