Okay, so far, two former Biden-era officials have been charged with criminal offenses: James Comey, former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), and Letitia James, the New York Attorney General.
Whoop-de-doo.
They both deserve to be dragged through the legal process they put President Trump and his friends, family, and associates through along with a variety of conservative activists and supporters. If you’re calling their indictments “retribution,” then I for one say let’s have more of it.
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Now on to today’s featured article!
“Weaponization” Revisited
Comey was indicted on September 25, 2025, on federal charges of making false statements and obstructing a congressional proceeding related to his 2020 testimony. You’ll remember that he answered while under oath during a Congressional hearing that he’d “never” asked anyone to “leak” information to the press. Later, in a different setting, he boasted of having deliberately “leaked” information to a friendly newsman, knowing that newsman would rush to get the misinformation he was peddling into media outlets.
Ms. James was indicted on October 9, 2025, on two criminal counts of mortgage fraud, pretty much the same “crime” she had charged President Trump with having committed. She, however, was a sitting government official when she told banks that the homes she was mortgaging were her “primary residence.”
And the “mainstream” press’s panties are twisted out of shape because of these two indictments? So much so that they’re crying and claiming these charges are evil and unseemly retribution and represent the “death of democracy” and a “weaponization” of the Justice Department?
They have got to be kidding.
That’s what I would have surmised had I not known that virtually all Never-Trumpers and Trump haters have no sense of humor.
Whatsoever.
Funny enough though, most of those anti-Trump so-called “journalists” never wondered (out loud or in print) about the real “weaponization” of the entire government under Joe Biden’s presidency against the then-former president Donald J. Trump taking place under their uncurious noses.
Let’s Review Some of Those Events:
The Georgia Election Interference Case, also referred to as the Election Racketeering Case (State of Georgia v. Donald J. Trump et al), in which not only Mr. Trump but also 18 (eighteen; count ‘em!) co-defendants (oh, and 30 more “unindicted co-conspirators”) were lumped together as a “criminal racketeering enterprise” whose mission was to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Trump lost to Biden by 11,779 votes (he was well ahead on Election Day), and the team believed it could find more votes; they also believed there was both vote tampering and corruption behind that Biden victory. Many – including yours truly – continue to believe that indeed was the case.
Among those charged were legal advisor Rudy Guiliani, Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and several of Trump’s lawyers. One of the main allegations was regarding Trump’s January 2, 2021, phone call to Georgia Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger asking that he “find” 11,780 votes.
Duh.
How else would Mr. Trump successfully challenge the vote count? Couldn’t do it without coming up with at least 11,780 votes (the number he lost the State of Georgia with).
How dare Donald J. Trump et al, challenge the results of what they – and many – considered a rigged election?
Didn’t they know they were Republicans?
Republicans aren’t allowed to do such things. Even in a nominally Red state. Only Democrats such as Stacey Abrams (who never conceded her loss to Brian Kemp in the 2018 race for governor) can do those sorts of things.
In any event, the entire convoluted case blew up, as the lead prosecutor – Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis – was disqualified from her role after it became known that she had hired her lover, Nathan Wade, as a special prosecutor to work with her and that the $650,000 paid to Wade allowed the couple to splurge on some rather elaborate and expensive trips, creating what the court referred to as “an appearance of impropriety.”
“Appearance?”
If that was an appearance, what could possibly constitute a real impropriety?
Oh, wait, it’s Georgia, where apparently any run-of-the-mill district attorney can easily explain how she “repaid” her lover Wade in cash for their mutual holiday excursions and not only wouldn’t have to produce any receipts as proof, but would also not be required to explain where the cash came from.
Did I mention that Wade and Willis met a number of times with Department of Justice officials to “discuss” the case? In Washington, D.C.? In the White House?
In case you didn’t know, the famous mugshot was taken at Trump’s arraignment in Fulton County.
But, hey, nothing to see here. Move along.
Hush, Hush, Sweet Stormy
Then there was the Hush Money Payments Case that conjured 34 felony counts for what up until then would have been at the most considered petty legal nuisances and are in the statutes as misdemeanors. By tying payments that lawyer Michael Cohen (yes, that Michael Cohen) made to stripper Stormy Daniels ($130,000) to “election interference,” Democrat prosecutors were able to classify Trump’s signing of each individual check to his lawyer as a felony.
Jack, Jack, the Legal Hack
Joe Biden, in his continuing effort to derail Trump’s challenge, had his Attorney General, Merrick Garland, name Jack Smith as a Special Counsel, who forthwith indicted Trump on four Federal felony counts of Election Interference in August 2023.
The New York Civil Fraud Case
New York Attorney General Letitia James (who won her seat by promising she’d “get” Trump if elected) accused Trump and the Trump Organization (including two of his sons, Donald Jr., and Eric, along with daughter Ivanka) of persistent fraud through inflated asset valuations. The suit was filed September 21, 2023. Part of the accusation included the “fraudulent” over-valuation of Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach Florida. The prosecution insisted that the 126-room, 62,500 sq ft, 17-acre (the White House sits on 18 acres) oceanfront estate was worth only $18 million. Trump valued it at nearly $1 billion.
Shame!
On February 16, 2024, Judge Arthur Engoron (there was no jury) found the Trump organization guilty on all claims (no banks or individuals were harmed, all the loans were paid back, and bank representatives testified that they would do business with the Trump Organization again), and ordered Donald Trump to pay $354.8 million, plus interest, totaling $464 million as of the ruling, accruing $112,000 per day until paid). Penalties included a three-year ban on Donald Trump heading up any NY company; two-year bans on his sons; permanent bans on CFO Allen Weiselberg and Controller Jeffrey McConney from financial roles; Trump was fined $15,000 for gag order violations.
On August 21, 2025, the New York Appellate Division upheld liability for fraud but voided the $464 million penalty as an “excessive fine,” which is prohibited under the Eighth Amendment.
Another New York City Farce
Then, there was the case brought by former sex/advice columnist E. Jean Carroll against Trump for a supposed incident in a Bergdorf-Goodman dressing room thirty years prior. This civil complaint against the former president and at-the-time presidential candidate took place in the middle of his ultimately successful presidential campaign. Even though this happened between two people and there were no witnesses, a change in the law allowed a statute of limitations extension that made the case possible (in fact, the law had been changed to make this case possible). Ms. Carroll was awarded over $88 million, mostly for public defamatory remarks made by Mr. Trump.
He can sometimes be his own worst enemy…
•••
I’d say the indictments of the arrogant James Comey and fatuous Letitia James, pale in comparison to the Biden administration’s corruption of the Justice Department, Homeland Security, FBI, and other institutions, its collusion with various state and local district attorneys and judges to plot against Donald J. Trump, his family, his friends, his lawyers, close associates, and trusted employees. Not to mention arriving at Mar-A-Lago, the home of the former president, with a team of armed agents and a search warrant
Under Biden, the Justice Department targeted concerned parents who spoke out at school board meetings, referring to them as “domestic terrorists.” DOJ prosecuted and jailed protestors who dared to pray silently but publicly outside abortion facilities, and its FBI collected cellphone data on Republican senators as part of the Arctic Frost investigation—the probe that formed the basis of special counsel Jack Smith’s electors case against President Donald Trump.
Regardless of your political leanings, you’d have to agree that what Joe Biden and his team put Donald Trump through was many times more egregious than anything the president has done thus far.
Unless you believe public officials have a right to lie under oath and on mortgage applications.
Or, of course, you are a clueless and uncurious “journalist” or TV “news” reader.
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Thank you Jim for putting that entire chain of events so clearly and succinctly before us readers. I’m sorry there are some amongst us who fail to see reality. Talks of an “authoritarian state” are ill founded and fruitless in light of staggeringly positive accomplishments such as yesterday’s release of the hostages. Was that an authoritarian act? I think NOT with the entire Middle East aligning with President Trump in what was a long overdue first step towards peace in the east
Thank you for this excellent recap. A concise rebuttal, when partisan TDS Democrats keep screaming Trump is a "convicted felon" with 90 zillion proven counts against him.
So sad, this is all they have to offer the necessary political debate; required in this country to keep it healthy, vigorous and strong . Happy 250th Anniversary America in 2026.
Happy two year anniversary to Santa Barbara Current for the most informed, stable and valued contribution to our own local political debates. Shout out to all the regular feature writers, who keep topics fresh, informed and stimulating. A local gem, which remains still too much undercover for too many within our local community.
Compared to the often rancid, one-note leftist domination found in the SB Independent, eHat, and Next Door. And now to include the recently purchased former Santa Barbara News Press trademark, which leads with congratulatory feedback from rabid leftist bête noir Jerry Roberts.
Long live Santa Barbra Current. God bless America.