Gov. Greg Abbott and others Thursday night criticized the New York indictment of former President Donald Trump.
The same groups financially supporting the New York district attorney pursuing criminal charges against the former president also helped finance the defund the police movement in Austin in 2021 and get a district attorney elected to Travis County who’s ensured that many violent felony cases are not prosecuted.
In response to the indictment, Abbott tweeted, “Weaponization of our courts for political grievances is an abhorrent abuse of power. The George Soros-supported NYC DA is only furthering the radical liberal agenda to have elections determined at the jury box rather than the ballot box. America deserves better.”
Soros is a billionaire Democratic donor who has contributed millions of dollars to the campaigns of progressive district attorney candidates, including the New York district attorney who indicted Trump.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said, “The radical left has consistently weaponized our courts to silence conservative voices. The actions by the Soros-backed Democrat DA in NYC is the latest example of this abuse of power.”
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said, “Today is an absolute outrage and tragic day for our country. This left-wing Soros DA has decided to use the power of his office to indict Donald Trump – facts and law be damned!”
Cruz also said, “Today marks a turning point in our country. The indictment of Trump is a moment in the death of the rule of law. Our Founders are weeping – law is supposed to be fair, regardless of political party. It is not meant to be used as a weapon to attack your political enemies.”
U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Houston, said, “A Manhattan Grand Jury at the behest of a weaponized prosecutor; who received a million dollars from Soros, has indicted a former U.S. President. This unprecedented attack against Trump is an assault on everything we hold sacred about our Republic.
“If they can come for him, they can come for you. Our judicial system is not blind or just, it has been weaponized by dangerous people hellbent on remaking our nation into something unrecognizable.”
Not all elected Texas officials agree. Newly elected Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, said, “No one is above the law, not even a former president. As a former public defender, I know the importance of a fair and unbiased judicial process. I urge my fellow Americans to put politics aside & refrain from violent rhetoric. This is a critical moment – we must not fail it.”
Former Texas legislator and now congressman, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, tweeted, “May justice be served, finally.”
On Thursday, a New York grand jury voted to indict Trump over allegedly misreporting payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016.
Daniels sued Trump for defamation and lost her appeal last year before the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. She owes the president nearly $300,000 in legal fees. After losing her case, she tweeted, “I will go to jail before I pay a penny.”
Trump issued several statements on social media referring to the indictment as “political persecution” and “a Witch-Hunt to destroy the Make America Great Again movement.”
Criticisms of New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s connection to Soros stems from him reportedly benefiting from a Soros-funded Justice and Safety PAC and other similarly funded groups that have focused on getting progressive district attorneys elected nationwide to implement policies that abolish bail, release violent offenders, and defund the police.
Soros’ Foundation to Promote Open Society funneled millions of dollars to the Community Resource Hub for Safety and Accountability, which provides resources to “local advocates and organizations working to address the harm of policing in the US,” according to its website. The hub has partnered with the Justice and Safety PAC and roughly 20 other groups, according to multiple reports, to get district attorneys like Braggs elected.
In Austin, the defund the police movement in 2021 was made possible by Soros funds.
Soros spent $500,000 to defeat a ballot proposition in Austin that would have restored funding to the Austin Police Department. “Billionaire George Soros is involved in Austin’s Prop A police staffing initiative,” the Austin American Statesman reported, pointing out that “Soros’ Open Society Policy Center transferred $500k to Equity Austin to defeat Prop A.”
Within months of being in office, Garza implemented a new policy to throw out cases including serious felony charges like “aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, assault of a pregnant woman, aggravated robbery, and more,” KVUE ABC News reported. In just four months, Garza rejected 142 felony cases, a 735% increase from the same timeframe in 2020.
Bethany Blankley
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Reposted with permission
