The Trump administration has tried to use the criminal justice system to attack or intimidate political adversaries in all kinds of ways. It took up a bogus criminal referral for Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell, which seems to have backfired politically. But the news this week that prosecutors sought grand-jury indictments against six Democratic lawmakers over a political video stands out as the most flagrant abuse yet of the administration’s criminal-legal powers. The video could be interpreted as inviting members of the military to second-guess their superiors, and that set off the Trump administration. Members of Congress need to be able to criticize the executive branch’s use of the military.

Source: Washington Post February 12, 2026 13:58 UTC