This is an adapted extract from December 11 episode of “Morning Joe.”
In an interview with NBC News’ Kristen Welker on Sunday’s “Meet the Press,” President-elect Donald Trump said some members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack. should be imprisoned. “Everyone on this committee…for what they did, yes, honestly, they should go to jail,” Trump told Welker.
Trump’s plan to imprison his political enemies once he returns to the White House is incredibly short-sighted. This is a decision that would not only be bad for the country and Congress, but also for Trump himself – for three reasons:
So how will it end for Trump if he tries to put Cheney or Thompson in jail simply for doing their jobs? Maybe we’ll find out soon.
The first is that it would defeat any hope Trump had of passing legislation. The margin in the House is incredibly tight and the president-elect will likely need help from Democrats to pass his policies in the House. Trump has repeatedly said he wants reach an agreement with the Democrats on immigration. If he tries to send former or serving members of Congress to prison, I doubt Democrats will want to work with Trump on his legislative priorities.
Second, it would actually draw attention to the attack on the Capitol. Today, as we move further and further away from January 6, many people may buy into the propaganda of Trump and other Republicans. pushed on the electoral campaign.
But we should remember, at least 20 million Americans listened for the committee’s first prime-time hearing on Jan. 6. People were captivated by the testimony. They were deeply concerned about what happened at the Capitol. The last thing you want to do is draw people’s attention back to this moment.
And finally, the third thing is, if you arrest people like former Rep. Liz Cheney or Rep. Bennie Thompson, you make them political heroes. One of the reasons many people believe Trump won re-election is because he sat at the table for weeks. He made him a martyr. If he turns around and makes someone like Cheney a martyr, he only makes her stronger and more powerful.
So how will it end for Trump if he tries to put Cheney or Thompson in jail simply for doing their jobs? Maybe we’ll find out soon.
Allison Detzel contributed.