DUBUQUE, Iowa – As former President Donald Trump’s indictments pile up, so do his poll numbers and that’s because of people like Randy Toenjes.
The 68-year-old corn and soybean farmer said he had intended to keep an open mind in the GOP presidential primary, but he ditched that plan in favor of support for Mr. Trump as he saw prosecutors in New York, Georgia and the Justice Department bring charges against the former president.
“We’re totally disgusted with the way the legal system has treated him,” Mr. Toenjes told The Washington Times before a Trump campaign stop in nearby Maquoketa. “We’re just really disgusted. Good people get punished and bad people get let go.”
He’s not alone in feeling that way.
There’s a pervasive sense among Republican voters that the centers of power in America are tilted against them.
They cite the IRS’ targeting of tea party groups, the now-discredited investigation into “collusion” between Mr. Trump and Russia in the 2016 election, and the reality that it was the Justice Department that unfairly targeted Mr. Trump, with FBI officials making clear their animosity as they pursued him.
Republicans also argue those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, have been treated more harshly than left-wing protesters from Portland, Oregon, and other cities that exploded in riots in the summer of 2020, which included repeated attacks on federal buildings.
Mr. Trump leans into the issue, portraying himself as a martyr for his MAGA movement.
“In the end, they are not after me, they are after you,” he said here during a recent campaign stop. “I just happen to be standing in their way.”
Polls show Republicans believe the indictments against Mr. Trump are politically driven by the Biden administration and its allies, though the broader electorate does not.
John Darrah, chairman of the Dubuque County Republicans, said there is an undeniable sense among voters that Mr. Trump is getting a raw deal and they must stand with him against the “injustice.”
Mr. Darrah said people have told him that they would be open to supporting another candidate, but, he said, “The problem is if another candidate is nominated then — in my words — these vile people actually win.”
The issue of disparate treatment was front and center on Capitol Hill on Wednesday when Attorney General Merrick Garland testified to the House Judiciary Committee.
Chairman Jim Jordan said the way Mr. Trump has been treated by Mr. Garland’s department is shocking, particularly when compared with the treatment of President Biden’s son Hunter Biden.
After years of investigation that turned up pervasive tax problems and gun law violations, the Justice Department cut a deal with Hunter Biden offering him the chance to plead guilty to minor tax charges, have the gun charges eventually erased, and do no jail time.
A federal judge punctured the deal, saying it showed unprecedented deference to the defendant.
Republicans said the way law enforcement pursued Mr. Biden also was more lenient than its pursuant of Mr. Trump.
“That’s why 65% of the people in this country have no faith in the Department of Justice under your leadership,” said Rep. Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican. “They’re witnessing every day a politicized Justice Department and a two-tiered system of justice.”
For the GOP, it goes beyond Mr. Trump and his orbit.
Rep. Chip Roy, Texas Republican, said an anti-protesting law has been used 126 times against pro-life protesters but just four times against pro-choice protesters.
Mr. Garland dismissed those accusations, saying his investigators and prosecutors pursue each case where the facts and law take them.
“The Justice Department treats everyone alike regardless of party, regardless of ethnicity, regardless of wealth. Everyone is treated alike,” he said.
The Justice Department has taken heat before acting politically.
In 2016 it was Democrats who felt targeted, blaming the FBI’s on-again-off-again investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails for her loss to Mr. Trump.
What makes this time different is the GOP’s desire to rally around Mr. Trump to make a statement.
“Where does it stop?” Mr. Darrah said. “If they a prevent another candidate from even being on the ballot, just because they don’t like them, to me it is completely un-American and evil.”
“I think that is Trump’s biggest advantage right now,” he said.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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