What Justice Looks Like When It Doesn’t Flinch
The idea behind this column comes directly from my previous one:
Related: Jack Smith May Finally Learn What ‘No One Is Above the Law’ Really Means
Reading your comments makes me start with something I think we agree on: I think Barack Obama would look great being frog-marched behind bars. I’d love to see Hillary Clinton’s red, puffy face screaming behind a reinforced glass pane. I would like to pick out the color of the black van that James Comey bumps his head on when he’s unceremoniously shoved into the back. I think it would make for great television when John Brennan is pulled from his home at 5:30 a.m. and has his rights read to him for all to hear.
Then, I take a deep breath and remember what separates justice from revenge: Restraint.
President Trump says what I think; he speaks for millions. However, what sets his administration apart from previous ones is when his Justice Department takes action. Trump’s DOJ isn’t chasing headlines or vengeance. Instead, they’re doing with Obama and Biden what they never could or wanted to: follow the law.
The Obama-Biden DOJ: A Shield for Themselves, A Sword for You
When Obama’s “wingman,” Attorney General Eric Holder, christened himself that name, it wasn’t just flattery; it laid down a warning. Obama’s DOJ turned into a fortress for his loyalists and a hammer for the rest of us.
Not a single charge was filed when the IRS’s Lois Lerner attacked conservative nonprofits with impunity. The press simply moved on.
Moving on to the Hillary Clinton email investigation, Comey’s FBI spent more time worried about optics than the truth. When her emails disappeared under mysterious circumstances, the Bureau chalked it up to carelessness. No grand juries were convened, and no indictments were filed; instead, we were presented with carefully crafted language regarding “extreme negligence” rather than criminal conduct.
While Clinton’s campaign was warned about potential foreign interference, a FISA warrant, built on the shaky foundation of the Steele Dossier, permitted the act of spying on Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. It didn’t matter that the document was an opposition-research fantasy paid for by the DNC and recycled through our friendly neighborhood FBI.
When Biden’s DOJ appeared, it didn’t repair the damage; it doubled down.
We witnessed Hunter Biden receive the slowest, most pampered investigation in federal history, culminating in a sweetheart plea deal that would’ve been accepted except for the public backlash. David Weiss, the Delaware U.S. Attorney in charge, had to be repeatedly asked to take the title of Special Counsel after years of trying to run out the clock.
At the same time, Jack Smith’s leash was removed, allowing him to focus on Trump like a predator on the Serengeti, leading to a couple of indictments in an election year. By sheer coincidence, these indictments lined up perfectly with the news of the Biden family’s business dealings.
By golly, that sure sounds like a diversion, doesn’t it?
We did not have any worries about diversions when the FBI went after evil parents at school board meetings—why should they care who their daughters shower with? We can’t forget about us Catholics, where undercover agents were sent into our churches, looking for extremists.
The Biden DOJ was a loyalty test in motion.
Trump’s DOJ: Fiery Rhetoric, Cold Procedure
Nowadays, Trump’s critics scream about his Truth Social posts, wringing their hands over “authoritarianism” and “dangerous rhetoric,” treating each all-caps post like it were an executive order.
But here’s the truth that nobody on the left seems to understand. For all his verbal fireworks, Trump’s DOJ remains the room’s only grownup.
Trump was hitting every note in tune: Obama committed treason, Brennan should be jailed, and Hillary should be held accountable for everything from Benghazi to bathroom servers. And yes, millions of us agree with him.
Here’s another truth the left hasn’t realized: The structure he created under Attorney General Pam Bondi. She ordered no middle-of-the-night raids, and Clinton wasn’t indicted for Twitter likes. Bondi acts like what an Attorney General should by launching formal reviews, creating a Weaponization Working Group, and directing criminal referrals through official channels.
What’s Bondi’s motto? “We prosecute crime. We don’t perform theater.”
All of this may not feel as satisfying as watching frog-marches, but it’s how the rule of law survives.
The Valentine’s Day Seven: When Prosecutors Put Politics First
Even though Trump’s DOJ made waves with firings and resignations, those waves died out because they were tied to principle, not a purge.
Seven top DOJ officials resigned in protest when acting Deputy AG Emil Bove instructed prosecutors to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Hoping to raise Cain, the media dubbed it the “Valentine’s Day Massacre.” What wasn’t reported was behind the scenes: Adams allegedly agreed to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, a move he had previously refused to do under Biden.
Was it messy? Yes, but something vital was revealed: Trump’s DOJ is not afraid to show everybody its transactional politics. Even when controversial orders were given, the legal process still allowed professionals to push back and resign rather than violate their own standards.
Even if it stings, that’s accountability, not authoritarianism.
The Durham Fallout and What Comes Next
Last week’s newly declassified sections of the Durham Report showed what the FBI had before pursuing the Trump-Russia collusion: a whole lot of nothing. Despite this minor setback, they approved surveillance anyway, proving it wasn’t a mistake; it was a hit job.
Bondi’s DOJ is taking another look. DNI Tulsi Gabbard submitted documentation urging criminal referrals for Brennan, Clapper, and Comey, calling it a treasonous conspiracy, leaving it up to the courts to decide.
We’re seeing something we’re not used to: a transparent investigation, not media manipulation.
And that is the difference.
The DOJ under Obama and Biden played games with accountability. Trump’s department barks louder, but stays on the legal leash.
How Do You Know It’s Justice?
Here’s your guide:
- If investigations are leaked to the New York Times before the ink is dry, that’s revenge.
- If targets are denied due process or labeled guilty on cable news, that’s vengeance.
- If prosecutors follow procedure, seek indictments through grand juries, and respect the courts, that’s justice.
The Trump administration makes a lot of noise, but it’s also deliberate. For all the iron in his rhetoric, the system he rebuilt is cold, structured, and legally sound.
The Left Hates Restraint Because It Reveals Their Excess
Trump could do something that Biden did, weaponize the bureaucracy, but he hasn’t. He’s letting the Justice Department do its job, seeking the truth, even if it takes time.
This is the reason we’re seeing the legacy media panic.
For them, Trump NEEDS to be a fascist; he needs to be seen stomping on the Constitution, wearing muddy boots. What’s driving them crazy is a Trump administration playing by the rules, while exposing how Obama and Biden shattered them.
To the left, when their enemy wins without cheating, they find it terrifying.
DOJ Conduct Across Administrations
In Obama’s sense of right, his Department of Justice sidestepped accountability when he shielded political allies. Despite tens of thousands of emails being deleted, despite a Congressional subpoena, Hillary faced no criminal charges. IRS official Lois Lerner never worried about prosecution for targeting conservative nonprofits.
In the meantime, conservative groups found themselves being investigated by the same FBI that was pursuing surveillance on the Trump campaign based on an unverified dossier. Investigations moved at a snail’s pace, moving carefully and politically to avoid outcomes that may damage their own side.
That pattern worsened under Biden, as we watched the smartest person he knew fall under his protection for years, until the public outcry forced a shift. That’s when the s**t hit the fan.
Parents protesting woke school boards were labeled domestic terrorists. Catholic congregations were infiltrated under the suspicion of extremism. And in the middle of a campaign cycle, Smith brought two major indictments.
Somehow, the legacy media made investigative efforts look selective and partisan, favoring narratives over neutrality. Predictably, all outcomes were a mix of sweetheart deals and public prosecutions, which depended on who you voted for.
In contrast, all the emotional declarations have come from President Trump on Truth Social, but his DOJ has shown caution and legal discipline when it came to action. His administration reopened investigations, including ones connected to the Durham report and alleged intelligence abuses. Those actions were taken through structured legal channels with no surprise raids or grandstanding arrests. We’re still waiting for outcomes, but the process Trump’s team put in place respects the courts, the Constitution, and due process.
Therein lies the distinction: Obama and Biden bend justice to protect themselves and their punish enemies. To his credit, which we’ll never hear from the drive-bys, Trump has allowed justice to function, even when the temptation for retaliation is so bloody intense.
Final Thoughts
The temptation for revenge is strong, to cheer for mugshots, perp walks, and orange jumpsuits. Justice, however, isn’t a feeling; it’s a standard.
President Trump speaks like a wronged man, which he is. But he governs like a man who understands the stakes. All of us can scream treason every day, but if our Justice Department isn’t taking shortcuts to make treason charges happen, then we have the kind of government worth keeping.
In that world, where Democrats were in charge and they indicted grandmothers for selfies while letting rioters walk, Trump’s DOJ is doing the thing nobody expected or will give him credit for: following the law.
We’re not seeing weakness; we’re seeing strength.
In my Jack Smith column, when I read comments by “Comments Are Rhetorical,” “Velenn,” and “justpaul,” I agreed with you. I remember Lindsey Graham’s face on Fox News promising to haul “insert-name-here” in front of his committee and watch justice and the law prevail. Eighteen months later, we’d see his face on the same nighttime news program making identical promises. All the while, the Fox News host, who hosted both programs, sat there, nodding his head and refusing to call Graham out.
It made me sick then, and seeing the same movie on repeat makes me sick now.
If, somehow, Trump and his Department of Justice continue to toe the line, showing the quiet strength this country deserves, then maybe that strength will lead to real indictments, not just retribution, and justice, at long last, will have done its job.
If you’re tired of watching justice be a one-way street, and you want deeper, fearless reporting on what’s really going on behind the headlines, join us at PJ Media. We don’t chase narratives. We chase truth with teeth.
Because justice isn’t a luxury, it’s the fight of our lives.
