Even more Profiles of Courage, Patriotism and Resistance to Trump

These people refuse to submit to Trump

For the past two weeks I have highlighted profiles in courage, patriotism and resistance to Donald Trump. These ranged from a reverend who confronted Trump to his face about the need for compassion to Democratic members of Congress demanding Elon Musk being investigated to the “MAGA Grandma” who rejected Trump’s pardon for her role in Jan. 6 and more.

My rationale behind sharing these profiles are two-fold. First, these people deserve far more attention than the corporate media has provided them. And second, these profiles will hopefully inspire even more people to stand up to Trump. In fact, to that last point, authoritarian expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat recently explained to me that history does shows us that, “when people see that or hear that other people are resisting, they're more likely to resist themselves.”

That is why it’s vitally important we share stories of resistance to Trump. In that spirit, here is installment three in this series:

1. Acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon and other federal prosecutors who refused to help Trump with his corrupt scheme: Sassoon had served just three weeks as interim U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York when Trump’s corrupt Department of Justice officials demanded on Wednesday she drop the criminal charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams. (He had been charged with bribery, wire fraud, taking illegal campaign contributions and more.) Trump’s DOJ did not claim that the evidence against Adams was insufficient. Rather, it was obvious the real reason was Adams and Trump made a deal that Adams would help Trump’s immigration agenda in return for dropping the charges. This is what corruption looks like.

The 38-year-old Sassoon is a lifelong Republican, a member of the conservative Federalist Society and clerked for the very conservative US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. She could’ve easily dismissed the charges as asked to help her own career under Trump’s rule. But she refused.

Instead, she sent a letter to Trump’s DOJ—knowing it would go public. Sassoon explained in the letter that Trump’s request to dismiss the indictment is “inconsistent with my ability and duty to prosecute federal crimes without fear or favor and to advance good- faith arguments before the courts.”

She continued, “I have always considered it my obligation to pursue justice impartially, without favor to the wealthy or those who occupy important public office, or harsher treatment for the less powerful.” She concluded, “I cannot fulfill my obligations, effectively lead my office in carrying out the Department's priorities, or credibly represent the Government before the courts, if I seek to dismiss the Adams case on this record.”

When Trump’s DOJ refused to rescind the order, she resigned. Other federal prosecutors followed her lead including Kevin Driscoll, the top career prosecutor in the public integrity section, and John Keller, the acting head of the office.

Then on Friday, another high ranking federal prosecutor, Hagan Scotten, also defiantly and very publicly resigned. Scotten—like Sassoon is a conservative—who served in the U.S. Army as a Special Forces troop commander, earning two Bronze medals for his conduct in Iraq. He graduated from Harvard Law School at the top of his class and clerked for conservative Chief Justice John Roberts.

And like Sassoon, he wrote a letter that went public slamming the corrupt request by Trump’s DOJ. He wrote, “any assistant U.S. attorney would know that our laws and traditions do not allow using the prosecutorial power to influence other citizens, much less elected officials, in this way.” He added powerfully, “If no lawyer within earshot of the President is willing to give him that advice, then I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward, to file your motion. But it was never going to be me.”

And with that he resigned. All told, seven federal prosecutors resigned—each providing us with profiles in courage and patriotism as they choose to end their careers as public servants rather than be a part of Trump’s corrupt goals.

2. The Associated Press: This heralded media outlet refused to identify in their reporting the “Gulf of Mexico” as the “Gulf of America”--as Trump demanded. The AP explained that the Gulf of Mexico has been named that for 400 years and that it is not solely within the U.S.’s power to change the name. “As a global news agency that disseminates news around the world, the AP must ensure that place names and geography are easily recognizable to all audiences,” the organization noted.

In response, the Trump administration since Tuesday has barred all AP reporters from White House briefings and official events. And when the AP still refused to bend a knee to Trump, the Trump regime on Friday banned AP reporters from the Air Force One press pool.

Obviously, this is much bigger than “Gulf of America” versus “Gulf of Mexico.” This is Trump dictating to the media that you must cover the news the way I demand or you lose access. This is yet again Trump following the authoritarian playbook when it comes to the media—coming on the heels of his FCC targeting outlets critical of Trump as I covered last week.

That is why the White House Correspondents’ Association and other media organizations have slammed Trump’s regime. The executive director of Reporters Without Borders statement sums this up well, “The level of pettiness displayed by the White House is so incredible that it almost hides the gravity of the situation.”

As of now, the AP has stuck to their principles while numerous other media outlets have bent the knee to Trump. The AP certainly deserves praise for standing up for the free press.

3. Grassroots protests: Then there were numerous rallies opposing the Trump regime that in general received little national press. Here are just a few:

A. Bakersfield, California: More than 1,000 people—led by high school students--gathered at the Kern County Superior Courthouse on Wednesday to protest various immigration and education policies under the Trump Administration.

B. Boston, Mass: Hundreds of people organized by a broad coalition of Massachusetts-based organizations joined the "Stop the Coup" protest, denouncing the Elon Musk and Trump agenda.

C. Portland Maine: Hundreds of protesters joined a rally in downtown Portland to denounce Trump administration policies to dismantle federal agencies, spoke of the importance of protecting the LGBTQ-plus community and preserving our democracy.

D. Washington, DC: Street Protests and cancellations by a growing number of artists in response to Trump taking over the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

And this Monday, we will see a 'Not My President's Day' Nationwide Day of Action” organized by the 50501 Movement and Political Revolution to voice opposition to Trump’s first month in office. So if you are inspired to get in the streets, check out the this article for links to events.

As I noted last week: These are challenging times. That is why it’s vitally important to amplify these profiles of resistance. They are breaking through the darkness. And with each new ray of light they shine, we move closer to the day that together we will drive out the darkness known as Trump.

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