This is what it actually looks like
TPM takes a look at some of the people Trump and his Major Domo Bill Barr used the Justice Department to punish. It is only a partial list:
John Kerry
According to a forthcoming book from Trump-era U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman that was obtained by the New York Times, Trump was enraged by efforts from former Secretary of State John Kerry to stop him from undoing the Iran anti-nuclear proliferation deal, signed under President Obama.
Trump pushed Berman, the former prosecutor writes, to investigate Kerry. At one point, an investigation was opened into whether Kerry violated the Logan Act — an 18th century statute which prohibits private citizens from unofficially negotiating with foreign governments.
“The conduct that had annoyed the president was now a priority of the Department of Justice,” Berman wrote.
Hillary Clinton
This one was part of Trump’s platform — lock her up.
But alas, Trump never made good on that campaign promise. As the New York Times reported in 2018, however, it was not for lack of trying.
Former White House Counsel Don McGahn purportedly recalled Trump telling him that he wanted the DOJ to prosecute Clinton. It was an odd request, in part because it was addressed to the wrong person: as McGahn reportedly explained, the White House counsel does not have authority over the DOJ.
James Comey
That same round of requests also included former FBI Director Jim Comey, the New York Times reported.
Comey had aroused Trump’s ire by criticizing him, and by memorializing their interactions in a memo.
That document was eventually leaked to the New York Times, and described how Trump asked him to shut down the investigation into Michael Flynn.
Gen. Stan McChrystal
Per a recent memoir from former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper obtained by TPM, Trump was enraged by a misleading report which suggested that retired Gen. Stan McChrystal had signed on with a tech firm to “track down” Trump supporters.
“So disloyal,” Trump reportedly said.
He convened Esper and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley with a plan: could they reactivate Gen. McChrystal, setting the stage to court-martial him?
Adm. William McRaven
The same book says that Trump wanted to add William McRaven — a retired admiral who had written in 2019 that the American form of government was “under attack” from Trump.
After considering McChrystal, Trump also wanted to recall McRaven into active duty — only to court martial him for his criticism.
The plan was shot down. Milley purportedly told Trump that he would call the generals and tell them to dial down their criticism. McChrystal told TPM in May that he never got a call.
Greg Craig
Trump’s direct involvement in this one is unclear, though potentially interesting.
Berman, the former Manhattan U.S. Attorney, wrote about an interaction he had during his office’s investigation of former Obama White House counsel Greg Craig.
It came in September 2018, weeks before the midterm elections that year, and weeks after Trump attorney Michael Cohen pleaded guilty.
Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Edward O’Callaghan purportedly asked Berman to “even things out” by filing charges against Craig before Election Day.
Berman did not do that. Charges were eventually filed against Craig by the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office in April.
“President Obama’s top White House lawyer, Gregory B. Craig, was indicted yesterday on very serious charges,” Trump tweeted in April 2019.
Craig was found not guilty.
These are only the ones we’ve been able to find out about because a few people have been brave enough to speak. I have no doubt there are many more.
The chutzpah of Trump and his accomplices now getting angry because the FBI is investigating his hoard of classified documents that he refused to give back is really rich. Yes, the DOJ is investigating people who staged a failed coup and stole classified documents from the government. This is their normal job. That Trump happens to be the instigator of all that and surrounds himself with criminals is his fault not theirs.