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Press Release
The White House is Weaponizing the DOJ to Silence its Political Opponents
Congress has the right and responsibility to ask questions. This is a hallmark of authoritarianism.
Washington, D.C. — Government watchdogs are raising the alarm following reports that the administration has directed the Department of Justice to investigate several members of Congress for simply pushing back against the White House’s politicization of the military, and urging servicemembers and the intelligence community to follow the law. David Janovsky, Acting Director of The Constitution Project at Project on Government Oversight (POGO), issued the following statement:
“A sitting president attempting to prosecute his political opponents just for saying something he disagrees with is a hallmark of authoritarianism. Every American should be concerned that the president is weaponizing the Department of Justice to clamp down on our right to free speech.
“There is nothing illegal about urging servicemembers to follow the letter of the law. In fact, what these members of Congress did — exercise their right to free speech to defend the Constitution — is the definition of patriotism. Our nation is safer when we have a military that understands its oath is to the Constitution, and not any one political party.“When the executive branch refuses to be transparent about why it has stationed troops on our street corners, Congress has the right and responsibility to ask questions. That is how we protect our freedoms and our democracy, and we urge lawmakers to continue to speak out and ask questions.”
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