GOP’s response to the Espionage charges against Trump is what FASCISM looks like

Threats of violence, blind loyalty and projection

The cover of Madeline’Albright’s book.

The tactics the GOP is employing to defend Donald Trump in response to the disgraced former President being charged with 37 felonies--including 31 counts of Espionage—is not simply about “hyper-partisanship” as some in the media are saying. Rather, it’s actually far more alarming. The GOP’s defense of Trump--ranging from threats of violence to using the government to protect Trump—provides us with even more evidence today’s Republican party has become a full-blown fascist movement.

I don’t say that to be hyperbolic. I say that as a warning because the corporate media is failing to connect the obvious dots right in front of us.

Let’s look at how experts describe fascism and then compare it with the GOP’s tactics to defend Trump.

For starters, as Madeline Albright explained in 2019 when discussing her great book, “Fascism: A Warning,”— “Fascism is not an ideology; it’s a process for taking and holding power.”

Consequently, the way experts determine if a movement is truly fascist is by looking at the actions of their leaders and followers. Here are a few of the key traits of fascist movements followed by a recitation of how today’s GOP leaders are defending Trump against being charged with Espionage, obstruction of justice and more.

1.     Violence: Albright stated that, “What differentiates fascism from other ideological movements is the use of violence and anger to achieve political ends.” She added, “Whatever else it is, fascism involves the endorsement and use of violence to achieve political goals and stay in power.”

GOP’s embrace of violence: Even before the current Espionage charges were filed, we saw GOP officials like Sen Lindsey Graham invoke the specter of violence in the hopes to deter DOJ from prosecuting him. Last August after Trump’s crime lair (aka Mar-a-Lago) was searched, Graham appeared on Fox News where he warned: “If there is a prosecution of Donald Trump for mishandling classified information after the Clinton debacle … there will be riots in the street.”

And it’s not just the GOP leaders but also the base that threatens violence. After the federal magistrate signed the search warrant authorizing the search of Trump’s home, he was subject to vile, anti-Semitic threats that caused his synagogue to cancel services that week. Trump supporters made countless threats against the FBI in defense of Trump and one devoted Trump supporter even attacked an FBI office wearing body armor and carrying a firearm to avenge Trump. (He was later killed by the local police.)

Did the GOP leaders denounce this violence or threats? Of course not.

More alarming is that when people commit violence on behalf of their leader Trump, we see GOP leaders defend the criminals. The most glaring example being Trump’s vow to pardon the Jan 6 terrorists who attacked our Capitol to keep Trump in power.

And just days ago as The Washington Post reported, “In the Capitol complex, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), with sidekick Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and four other far-right lawmakers, held a “hearing” that honored participants in the riot, family members of Jan. 6 rioters and organizers of the attempted overthrow of the 2020 vote.” At the hearing, the GOP members of Congress celebrated Ashli Babbitt who was killed trying to enter a secure area during the Capitol attack. Rep. Greene even offered sympathy for the attackers while slamming those who prosecuted the terrorists as “sick, evil people.”  

That is why in response to Trump being charged this time there were more threats of violence. Some came from sitting GOP members of Congress, like Arizona congressman Andy Biggs who went on Twitter and used violent language to call for retribution. “We have now reached a war phase,” he said. “An eye for an eye.”

GOP Rep. Clay Higgins gave militaristic instructions to his followers. “This is a perimeter probe from the oppressors. Hold. rPOTUS has this,” he tweeted, using an abbreviation to refer to Trump as the “real president.”

It’s not surprising that we then saw online Trump supporters threatening to kill people from Merrick Garland to DOJ officials to Democrats with posts like, “We need to start killing.”

The threat of violence is now the go-to move for many in the GOP. That is what fascism looks like.

Thankfully, no violence occurred last week. However—and not to alarm anyone—but if Trump is the 2024 nominee, we will almost assuredly see violence by MAGA terrorists in support of Trump in the fall of 2024 since they believe if Trump wins, he will pardon them—just as he has vowed to pardon the Jan 6 terrorists.

2.     Blind loyalty to an “infallible leader.” Yale Professor Jason Stanley, author of the book “How Fascism Works,” explained in July 2020: “Fascism is based on power, loyalty, and fear of the other. The fascist leader is infallible.” He added, “And anyone who opposes him is immediately a traitor to the nation.”

Stanley also noted about Trump: “The connection he has forged with his supporters ever since he first ran, remember the comment, ‘I could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue in broad daylight and I wouldn't lose a single supporter?’, adding, “That's a fascist connection of total loyalty.”

GOP’s blind loyalty to Trump: Look where we are now. Trump attempted a coup, incited the Jan 6 attack and now—as detailed in the indictment— exposed some of our nation’s most sensitive secrets to who knows?!  Some of the classified documents Trump took are still missing as the DOJ has explained to a federal judge. Yet the GOP base still LOVES Trump.

Beyond the base, GOP members of Congress are showing devotion to their supreme leader by launching an all-out campaign to attack the special counsel’s investigation, vowing to use every tool at their disposal to undermine its findings – from subpoenas to defunding everyone from the office of the Special Counsel and even the DOJ.

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan is exploring ways to force Special Counsel Jack Smith to testify or provide information about the special counsel probe of Trump’s handling of classified documents—telling reporters: “All options are on the table.” Jordan is reportedly in the process of working behind the scenes to restrict FBI funding.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) says she’ll introduce a measure to specifically defund Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office.  Even Speaker Kevin McCarthy backs stripping new FBI headquarters funding to punish the agency for daring to investigate criminal Trump.  

And GOP Senator J.D. Vance announced that he would hold up Justice Department nominees because of the indictment. “We have to grind this department to a halt until Merrick Garland promises to do his job and stop going after his political opponents,” Vance said in a video posted to Twitter.

3.     Projection.  Professor Stanley noted that: “Fascist tactics always involve projection. The fascists are always accusing their opponents of being the totalitarians. The fascists are always accusing their opponents of being the threat to the nation that they in fact are.” (Sound familiar?!)

Stanley continued: “The fascists are the most corrupt people, like the Nazi party was incredibly corrupt, incredibly lawless. But they accused their opponents of being corrupt.”

GOP Projection: What we are seeing now—and have been for years with Trump and his minions—is accusing Democrats of being the corrupt ones when in fact it’s their beloved leader Trump who rightfully should already be in a prison cell.

The projection from Trump is off the charts. Here is what he said this week after being charged: “Joe Biden will forever be remembered as not only the most corrupt president in the history of our country but perhaps, even more importantly, the president who together with a band of his closest thugs, misfits and Marxists tried to destroy American democracy.”

Like the corrupt Nazis as Stanley laid out, Trump accuses his opponent of being “corrupt” when he is the one facing a total of 71 felonies in two different jurisdictions. Add to that, Trump claims Biden wants to “destroy American democracy” when he attempted a coup and incited the Jan 6 attack to achieve that very goal.

And it’s not just Trump who is the king of projection. His allies in Congress are now defending Trump while accusing President Biden of corruption despite not having the evidence. The GOP’s latest projection is to say they have audiotapes that capture Biden committing crimes—yet they can’t find the tapes. This is again projection since the new indictment cites a tape recording of Trump committing a crime (sharing military secrets) and we have all heard the recording of Trump calling the Georgia Secretary of State after the 2020 election pressuring him to “find” votes or be criminally prosecuted. 

Today’s GOP is what fascism looks like. Of course, not all Republicans are fascists- but the Republican leaders who have spoken out could fill a Toyota Prius—and still there would be room left in the back seat. And once these Republicans denounce Trump, they are labeled “traitors” by Trump and his supporters. That is what fascist movements do.

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