Monday's letters: Government tactics used against Trump campaigns

White House using tools to remove rival

State Sen. Joe Gruters dismissed the Russia-Trump collusion narrative as a lie.

A letter critiquing his column disagreed.

We now know the collusion story was a construct of Hillary Clinton's campaign, as was the Steele dossier.

Sen. Charles Grassley publicly stated there were 17 audio recordings by a Burisma executive verifying alleged bribery with Joe and Hunter Biden.

Opinion: Sen. Gruters on why Trump indictment shows FBI can't be trusted

More: How to send a letter to the editor

Then-FBI Director James Comey said Clinton trafficked hundreds of classified documents on an unsecured server. Each instance is a felony.

Former President Donald Trump had documents at Mar-a-Lago. Current President Joe Biden had documents in scattered locations for six years, none of which he had any right to possess as a senator or a vice president.

Why no action? Biden only turned them over after they were discovered.

Never in the USA have we seen the tools of government used by a party to remove its chief rival. It resembles tactics from Moscow, Caracas or Beijing.

Richard D. Paolillo, Nokomis

Hush! Ex-NCF trustee should take own advice

On June 25, Robert Allen Jr. wrote a guest column directing critics of plans to transform New College into the “Hillsdale of the South” to “shut up.”

I’m not sure shushing is an effective way to persuade or influence people to change their perspective (“New College is changing for the better. It’s time for the critics to shut up and move on”).

On a closer read, it seemed like Allen was trying to convince himself that the transformation plan that he helped execute is a good idea. Is he feeling guilty/anxious that the actions he took on behalf of the governor might not yield the exceptional outcomes he desires?

Opinion: New College's overhaul driven by greed, arrogance and ignorance

If Allen is confident that the transformation plan will benefit the college and the state with growing enrollment and enhanced academic standing, wouldn’t a better course of action be to wait for those results and then brag about them?

Then he would actually have something substantive to say. Perhaps he should take his own advice!

Dennis Rees, Sarasota

GOP too extreme for old-school Republicans

This isn’t your parents’ Republican Party.

When your standard-bearer is former President Donald Trump, gone are morality, family values, bipartisanship, small government, national security, fiscal responsibility, personal responsibility and respect for law enforcement or the law itself.

Instead, whiny victimhood, fear-stoking, hatred, lies about your opponents, defending whatever Trump does and cultural nonsense few voters care about become all you have left.

Case in point: Republicans control our state. How much progress are they making on the serious issues facing Florida, issues like housing affordability, ungodly insurance rates, uncontrolled growth, water pollution and climate change?

Any serious observer has to say little to none.

And yet they talk endlessly about extremely fringe things like trans issues and the wokety-woke and lie about their opponents, who just happen to be a lot more rational and focused on what matters.

If you are an old-school Republican, you don’t have to support a now-extreme party you no longer recognize simply because someone has an “R” after his or her name.

There are better choices. There are still adults in the room and capable candidates on every ballot. Choose carefully, as a great deal is at stake.

Peter Burkard, Sarasota

Thanks to a thoughtful local business

Recently, my husband and I booked a long weekend trip to Virginia to visit a lifelong friend struggling with cancer.

As we pulled out of our street to drive to the airport in St. Pete, our car’s tire light came on and we heard an ominous noise, but we could see no obvious problem.

Since we had purchased our tires at a tire store in Venice, we drove directly there. At first, workers said it would be 90 minutes before they could check it out, but when we told them of our time crunch they put our car on the lift immediately.

The very helpful and kind mechanic found a 1½-inch screw in our right rear tire. He patched/plugged the tire and checked out the other tires.

We were out of there in 45 minutes − at no charge! We made it to the airport in time.

We’re very thankful.

Cynthia Gossman, Venice

New residents find compassionate care

My wife and I recently relocated to Sarasota after having resided in Crystal River for the majority of our adult lives. One of the major challenges of relocating is establishing oneself with new physicians.

I have been extremely impressed by the quality of medical care provided in this city. Our doctors have graciously taken the time to hear our concerns and respond with both compassion and expertise.

Sarasota Memorial Hospital provided the utmost of care for my wife, who underwent shoulder surgery.

I have never seen a better medical community.

Bill Sheets, Sarasota

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Democrats using government tools against Biden's rival