Democratic senator says Trump’s plans to undermine democracy have already begun

‘If you have a family at home, are you really going to stand up to Trump if there’s a chance you could end up in jail?’ Chris Murphy asks

Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy has argued that President-elect Donald Trump’s supposed plan to “cripple” U.S. democracy has already been put into action.

Murphy took to X to lay out his case, saying, “It’s happening right in front of our eyes. It’s accelerated rapidly in the last 24 hours. Not sure why everyone doesn’t see this.”

“Can I take a minute to connect the dots – on how Trump is putting into action a plan to cripple our democracy in a way we may never recover from?” he asked.

Murphy, 51, was responding to a post by the House Administration’s Oversight Subcommittee, outlining a Republican report recommending that former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney be criminally investigated for her work on the Select Committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

“He wasn’t kidding when he said Democrats were the no. 1 threat to America and needed to be dealt with by law enforcement and the military,” Murphy wrote Tuesday. “House Republican’s referral of Liz Cheney for criminal prosecution – on made up charges – shows you the plan.”

Trump has said that members of the Select Committee on January 6, which has since been disbanded, should “go to jail” for working on the panel.

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy spoke out on X about Trump’s plans to undermine democracy (Getty Images)

Murphy went on to ask who would support Cheney and others Trump wants to prosecute, noting that the president-elect’s nominee to run the FBI, Kash Patel, is unlikely to do so.

“Kash Patel was chosen to lead the FBI BECAUSE he wants to prosecute Trump’s opponents,” the senator argued. He added that the Department of Justice would also be unlikely to be able to stand up for Cheney, saying, “Trump’s pliant DOJ can handpick a jurisdiction with a MAGA judge.”

“Not every Trump opponent will fold, but many will. If you have a family at home, are you really going to stand up to Trump if there’s a chance you could end up in jail?” he asked. “History shows that selective prosecution of a regime’s opposition has a broad chilling effect.”

Murphy also noted Trump’s legal battles with the press, saying, “The second part of Trump’s plan is to use the White House to destroy the free media.” Trump filed a lawsuit against The Des Moines Register and pollster Ann Selzer Tuesday because of a poll released before the election showing Vice President Kamala Harris in the lead in Iowa.

“We shouldn’t pretend this is normal,” Murphy wrote.

Trump recently settled a defamation lawsuit against ABC News for $15 million after anchor George Stephanopoulos said the former president had been found liable for rape when a jury found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E Jean Carroll, but not for rape.

“Already, you see how the big media companies are giving in. ABC paid Trump $15m even though his defamation suit had no merit,” Murphy argued. “Bezos told the Post to not endorse against Trump. MSNBC is up for sale because Comcast doesn’t want to get in trouble.”

Murphy quoted Trump as saying that after he lost a case against a journalist, the former president said, "I did it to make his life miserable, which I’m happy about."

“He gladly admits it’s about intimidation,” Murphy said, going on to note that Trump has suggested that he will use the Federal Election Commission to go after news organizations.

“Even if he uses this power rarely, media companies have already shown they are reluctant to put up a fight,” Murphy said.

The senator said there may be a chance it’s all “show and bluster,” but recent developments, including the ABC and Register lawsuits and the Cheney referral for prosecution, “all point to this being very, very real.”