The Gaetz Appointment – What it Portends for the Forthcoming Trump appointed New Jersey US Attorney
Donald Trump was elected on Tuesday, November 5, 2024 because of the issues of economic insecurity and discontent. Unfortunately, it must be said that the electorate was willing to sacrifice in large part democracy, civil liberty, racial fairness, and integrity in government for the illusory promise of economic prosperity in a Trump administration.
The campaign established irrefutably the fascism of Donald Trump. Both former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army General Mark Milley and former Trump White House Chief of Staff Retired Marine General John Kelly attested emphatically to the fascism of Donald Trump and warned of dire consequences to American democracy if Trump was elected.
Readers of this column should read the book, The Anatomy of Fascism by Robert Paxton, Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia University and universally recognized as the world’s leading authority on fascism. The term “fascism” is best defined as a system of authoritarian, ultranationalist government that promotes theories of “racial purity” and hypermasculinity, which naturalizes oppressive domestic policies. Trump’s adherence to his racial purity philosophy is best exemplified by his lifetime record of unmitigated bigotry against people of color.
For years, Trump has also openly proclaimed his intention to seek retribution against his political opponents by criminal prosecution and incarceration. These threats by Trump and his allies have continued during the recent campaign and thereafter. Such retribution, in defiance of the rule of law, is an essential aspect of fascist behavior.
Many Trump voters during the recent campaign acknowledged awareness of Trump’s fascism but ignored and played down its danger, asserting disbelief that Trump would ever try to implement an authoritarian agenda. This past week, however, Trump’s appointment of former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz as Attorney General has made manifest the Trumpian undeniable fascistic threat to American democracy.
Gaetz is grossly unfit for the office of Attorney General. He is totally without relevant qualifying attorney experience to serve as America’s top law enforcement official. Allegations of his sexual predatory behavior serve as compelling evidence of his extreme lack of character for any federal position, let alone Attorney General. They also demonstrate his adherence to the cult of hypermasculinity, which as stated above is a core characteristic of fascism. His bigotry is amply demonstrated by his virulent antisemitism. The Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt has registered his outspoken opposition to the Gaetz nomination, stating “he should not be appointed to any high office, much less one overseeing the impartial execution of our nation’s laws.”
I have virtually no doubt, however, that Gaetz will take office pursuant to a recess appointment, enabling him to avoid the scrutiny of the confirmation proceedings. The Republicans in the US Senate are by and large a collection of shamelessly supine political cowards who will not oppose the recess appointment. It allows them the luxury of spuriously claiming no responsibility for the Gaetz appointment while permitting it to proceed.
The top priority of an Attorney General Gaetz will be retribution against Trump’s political opponents, including the lawless prosecution and incarceration of leading defenders of democracy against Trump fascism such as Special Prosecutor Jack Smith and former Congresswoman Liz Cheney. It is beyond doubt that the Trump fascist retribution agenda will extend to journalistic opponents of Trump as well, as is made abundantly clear by the comments of Trump’s fellow fascist core advisor Kash Patel.
The fascist retribution agenda of the Gaetz weaponized Justice Department will be executed locally by his appointed US District Attorneys. I have no idea whatsoever whom Trump will appoint as the US District Attorney for the State of New Jersey. One thing is certain, however. The Trump/ Gaetz appointed US Attorney for the District of New Jersey will be an individual whose loyalty to Trump supersedes his or her loyalty to the US Constitution.
I have proudly been the leading New Jersey journalistic critic of Donald Trump and Trump fascism over the past decade. Accordingly, I fully expect that the Trump appointed New Jersey US Attorney will proceed with alacrity against me and other Trump critics on phony fabricated charges once instructed to do so by his or her superiors in the Trump Justice Department.
I will be acquitted, of course. We have very good federal judges in New Jersey. I have already retained an attorney, who has assured me of this.
I am most grateful for this reassurance. This Friday, November 22, I celebrate my 75th birthday. It is also a day on which I am most mindful every year of the anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy on my fourteenth birthday, November 22, 1963. I doubt very much my prospects of survival and observance of more birthdays in a Trump gulag.
Alan J. Steinberg of Highland Park served as regional administrator of Region 2 EPA during the administration of former President George W. Bush and as executive director of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission. He graduated from Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin Law School.
The ‘economic insecurity’ from which the trump voter suffers is the result of wages not keeping up over 40+ years and too many gotta have items on their wish list or credit card statement. Not sure what those clowns expect this newly elected clown to do but if they thought they had nothing before wait till they have 1/2 of nothing. Much like the first time they voted for him he will not eliminate the black or brown people and considering that ‘foreign’ workers make up 70% of the agricultural workforce, 50% of construction workers and significant percentages of other industries there will be supply chain shortages with the mass deportation. The Supremes have already ruled that a president can do pretty much anything, that said Biden should just round up all the usual trump criminal enterprise suspects and have a do over election. Did I mention I am a Stalinist on criminal punishment? I would have all the trump criminal enterprise building corduroy roads on Guantanamo.
For how many years has Steinberg pilloried Trump and his supporters. Ordinarily I would feel sorry for the poor guy, but this is going to be fun to watch. Nothing will happen to him of course, he’s not worth the time. But as every one of his predictions fall (just as his prediction that Biden would swamp Trump in the election), we’ll see how he handles the mea culpas one after the other in his columns. When Israel is strong, complete with Judea Samaria and Gaza, hostages returned (those that haven’t been murdered under Biden), and at peace, when American Jewry has been saved, when Jews can walk to classes and synagogues without fear, when Obama’s racial divisions through DEI and CRT are rolled back, when foreign gangs are no longer roaming the streets, and yes, when prices have come down and stabilized, will Steinberg drop his demonization like most other critics? My guess is no. What new spurious charges will he concoct between now and then?
I truly feel sorry for someone harboring this much hatred. If he only read his own words he would see how wrong he is. Every one of his “facist” components has been torn asunder by President Elect Trump’s choises. He has chosen more women then Biden. He has nominated several minorities. And if he chooses to go after those he deems worthy of legal action we can be sure it will be done in an informed manner. And God knows there are some who need a but of a wake call.
The two major proponents of Trump being a fascist and Hitler, Mike and Joe Scarborough of MSLSD, have gone to Trump with “hat in hand” and apologized for their rhetoric. So, the whole fascist argument was nothing more than gaslighting & disinformation/misinformation.
Once again, we see Alan J. Steinberg being so far off of the mark, that he is embarrassing himself. Steinberg is projecting tyranny and “threat to democracy” of his own Democrat-Communist Party on to Trump and the almost 80 MILLION MAGA voters that voted for Trump.
When Steinberg is ludicrously shrieking about the “leading defenders of democracy against Trump fascism such as Special Prosecutor Jack Smith and former Congresswoman Liz Cheney” being targets of Trump and Gaetz’s so-called “retribution”, he forgets to tell his readership that Jack Smith is hurriedly seeking to drop all charges against Trump and to “get out of town before sundown” because he knows his cases were criminal fraudulent election interference, and the courts have basically shut him down.
As for the disgraced Liz Cheney, she was soundly defeated by 40 points for her Congressional seat in Wyoming. She is now running around making dangerous threats against Trump’s life, echoing her father, Dick Cheney’s, rhetoric that they must stop Trump anyway possible. Sounds like death threats against Trump to me. Her false statement of misinformation and disinformation were highly inflammatory, and resulted in Trump being almost assassinated twice. Liz Cheney has a lot to answer for because of her “kill Trump” rhetoric and her false J6 Committee charges.
Steinberg is worried he will be on the list of people a possible Trump NJ District Attorney will target for inflammatory and dangerous rhetoric in calling Trump and his supporters fascists and threats to democracy that threatened and continues to threaten Trump and his supporters.
I say this to Steinberg, who worked for G.W. Bush and Dick Cheney: Too bad!!!! You made your own bed. Now sleep in it. As one Democrat U.S. Senator once said, “You will reap the whirlwind!!!!”
Commenter No 2
Kind of you to visit NJ…far from colleagues and clients.
Perhaps on your next visit, you can give us some wealth management advice in case we have some wealth to manage.
Kathleen Demarest is a dolt. She attacks Commenter No. 2 for allegedly being in Pennsylvania, and not NJ. How does she know the Commenter is from PA, or that he drives from NJ on the PA turnpike to go to work? Demarest is a typical Democrat–quick to pre-judge, gaslight and project Leftist evil on to others.
Isn’t it odd that THOMAS JEFFERSON 1776/ NO MAXIST IN DC would be so upset, agitated by my reply to commenter No.2??
PS…commenter No. 2 works in PA not NJ as you well know.