Trump: The Judicial System is "Rigged"

Two Things:  Trump de-legitimizes the Federal Court system.   GOP leadership joins in support of Trump candidacy.

The important news today is not that Donald Trump's campaign broke new ground in his open contempt for the integrity of the court system.   This isn't really a surprise.

Congressman Issa greets Trump in San Diego

What is interesting and important to me is that leaders in the GOP are silent, thereby normalizing the de-legitimization of the third branch.   

GOP leaders keep endorsing the Trump candidacy, joining Reince Priebus, Mitch McConnell, Bob Dole, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, Chris Christy, Scott Walker, Rudy Giuliani, Bobby Jindal, and dozens of others.   

Most recently, the badly abused and belittled Senator Marco Rubio, humbled himself in front of Trump, saying he "would most certainly be honored to be considered" for the privilege of speaking on Trump's behalf.  (Rubio would be honored to be considered.  I hang my head on his behalf--the abused child seeking the approval of the abuser.)

"Honored" to help Trump

Meanwhile, Trump's speech in San Diego presented the federal judiciary as a corrupt, rigged, illegitimate system.   Here is the 11 minute speech: Click here, to see for yourself on Youtube    

His comments are apparently no longer shocking to citizens, including senior GOP lawmakers.  The local crowd cheered his comments and if it raised concerns over the rule of law among Republican leaders they have not spoken up.

Here is a close look at what he said:

He began by calling the federal judiciary "a rigged system"

At 0:54 He said the judicial system was "a disgrace."

At 1:01  "I have a judge who is a hater of Donald Trump.  A hater, He's a hater.  His name is Gonzalo Curial.  (Crowd boos)   He's not doing the right thing.  I'm being railroaded.

At 2:24  "I'm getting railroaded by a legal system that frankly they should be ashamed."

At 3:05  "We're in front of a very hostile judge.  The judge was appointed by Barrack Obama (boos), a federal judge  Frankly, he should recuse himself because he's given us ruling after ruling after ruling, negative, negative, negative."

At 4:30 "The judge, who happens to be , we believe, Mexican.   Which is great, I think that's fine.  You know what I think?  The Mexicans are going to end up loving Donald Trump."

At 9:58  "I think Judge Curiel should be ashamed of himself.  I think it is a disgrace that he's doing this.  And I look forward to going before a jury, not this judge.  A jury.   And we will win at trial.  We will win that trial.  Check it out.  Check it out, folks."

At 10:10  "Bernie Sanders says it's a rigged system. It is rigged.  I'm talking about I had a rigged system, except we won by so much.  I will tell you, this court system.  The judges in this court system, federal court, they ought to look into Judge Curiel because what Judge Curiel is doing is a total disgrace, OK?"

The Trump technique has been working brilliantly against political opponents.  He does not argue the merits of a policy.  He de-legitimizes.  (Little Marco, Lyin' Cruz, Crooked Hillary, Low Energy Bush, clueless and incompetent Obama, a terrible Iran deal, ugly Carly, bad trade deals, false climate science.)   

Trump: "Mexican" Judge Curiel

The San Diego speech enters a new arena openly de-legitimizing the judiciary, which unsettles the civic consensus that allows court cases to be obeyed.  He called a federal judge "Mexican", to imply bias or illegitimate status.  (Judge Curiel was born in Indiana and went to the University of Indiana for college and law school.)   Trump argued his side of the Trump University case, but he went beyond that.  He said the system was unjust.

Chris Wallace of Fox News was incredulous at Trump's comments and he offered Trump an opportunity to back away.   Trump declined.    

He affirmed the connection between the judge's ethnicity and the court's rulings.    "I think it has to do perhaps with the fact that I'm very, very strong on the border, and he has been extremely hostile to me.  We have a very hostile judge.  Now, he is Hispanic, I believe, and he is very is a very hostile judge to me."

That was back in December.   Things have changed.

The race has changed. Now GOP leaders are accepting Trump as spokesman.  If Trump says Hispanics cannot be trusted as judges and the judicial system is rigged, they do not object.  

Before Trump won the nomination Republican leaders protested the open unconstitutionality and prejudice when Trump said he would ban Muslims from entering America.   Ryan, McConnell and others immediately went on TV to say that Trump did not represent the Republican view.    Not now.

Some private GOP bloggers have protested and even Fox News was incredulous.  Click here for a description of the Fox News Sunday exchange   

 But GOP leaders are silent.  Trump has re-made the Republican Party.