Sens. Hawley, Schmitt and Marshall: Tell voters the truth about Trump’s indictments | Opinion

The Star’s recent editorial on the reaction of Sens. Josh Hawley, Eric Schmitt and Roger Marshall to the indictment of Donald Trump on serious charges of mishandling classified national defense documents was on target. It is especially appalling that Schmitt and Hawley, both lawyers, would condemn an indictment before seeing it. The indictment is specific and detailed in enunciating alleged violations of law by Trump. These same violations have led to the recent imprisonment of an FBI agent and an Air Force officer. A dual system of justice would mean Trump goes unprosecuted while others are imprisoned.

Some MAGA Republicans in office now seek to defund the FBI and destroy the Department of Justice. The legal system of the United States is a key foundational institution of our republic. Without our legal system, we cannot have a democratic society in which the rights of all are protected. In Trump’s case, he will potentially be tried in West Palm Beach, an area that has supported him. The judge is a Trump appointee. He enjoys the presumption of innocence and requires a unanimous decision by a jury to convict. To compare this case to one in a “banana republic,” as Schmitt did, is not only absurd but dangerous. It continues the assault on our institutions by elected officials who swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution.

On Jan. 6, 2021, Hawley and Marshall joined many other congressional Republicans in voting against the certification of President Joe Biden’s election, ignoring his popular vote majority of more than 7 million. Then Missouri’s attorney general, Schmitt joined other state Republican AGs’ attempt to overturn the election. Despite Trump officials within the Justice Department, including then-Attorney General William Barr, and the courts affirming that the election was fair and valid, these three chose the politically expedient path of assaulting our system of elections.

The number of Republican U.S. senators and representatives who voted against Biden’s certification gave credence to Trump’s claims. Had they done the right thing and supported the true outcome in the absence of any evidence to the contrary, the millions of Americans who believe Trump’s false declarations about a supposedly stolen election would not continue to be deceived. A significant percentage of the population now questions the legitimacy of our entire election system, following untruths they hear from officials such as Johnson County Sheriff Calvin Hayden and failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.

Until Trump, no president in modern history had tried to steal an election. In the 20th century, five incumbent presidents were defeated and they conceded to their opponents. All attended the inauguration of their successor, unlike Trump. The peaceful transition of power began with George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, and has been a hallmark of our political system. It is critical to the preservation of our democratic society.

Had these three senators from Kansas and Missouri fulfilled their constitutional duties and supported the legitimacy of our political system, they would have worked to preserve it and not given credence to the illegitimate actions of Trump. Officials like them have helped to alter the American conservative movement, repudiating stalwart Republican figures such as Bill Kristol, George F. Will, Dick Cheney and his daughter Liz Cheney, while embracing autocrats such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Our international allies are worried about the United States. Will we continue to be the leader for democracy and human rights, or will our own system be destroyed? Russian President Vladimir Putin hopes for Trump to win reelection to support his country’s annexation of Ukraine. China points to the divisions within our society as an example of how the American political system is a failure and not one to be emulated by other nations.

Some have said that people like these senators should put nation above party. I say they should put nation above Donald Trump. Their action supporting him, contrary to all objective evidence, does nothing but destroy the legitimacy of our political system. It seriously divides this nation.

Only our adversaries can be happy with what Trump and his followers have done to divide us. In 2024, we must elect patriots to ensure the continuation of the American experiment, not those who work to destroy it.

Bond R. Faulwell of Overland Park is a retired deputy administrator for the General Services Administration Heartland Region and director of organization and personnel at the GSA in Washington, D.C. He has taught political science at Park University and Johnson County Community College.