Politics
Some see Trump weaponizing government in targeting of Wisconsin judge, Democratic fundraising site
On Thursday, President Donald Trump directed his Department of Justice to investigate ActBlue, the Democratic Party-aligned fundraising site that has fueled so many successful challenges against his own party.
The next day, amid a long-running feud with judges, who have put some of his initiatives on hold because they may violate the Constitution, Trump’s FBI arrested a Milwaukee judge, alleging she had helped a migrant evade immigration authorities.
The two acts sent shockwaves through the legal and political worlds, which already have been reeling as Trump has used his office to target law firms, media outlets and individuals with whom he disagrees. The investigations are the latest version of a clear pattern in Trump’s second term: The president has harnessed the power of the federal government to punish his enemies and anyone he sees as standing in his way.
“This government has been consistent, from the moment it took office, in weaponizing the government and deploying it against critics,” said Steve Levitsky, a Harvard political scientist and the coauthor of “How Democracies Die.” “This is not a surprise. Trump campaigned on it and he’s been doing it since day one.”
The complaint filed by the U.S. Department of Justice on Friday accused Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan of ushering the man, who is accused of being in the country illegally, out the “jury door” of her courtroom. The complaint alleges the judge became “visibly angry” when told there were immigration agents in the courthouse.
Her arrest Friday morning was announced in a post on X by Trump’s FBI director, Kash Patel, a Trump loyalist who before the election had compiled an “enemies list” to target during the president’s second term. Patel later deleted the post.
Shortly after Dugan’s arrest, a few dozen protesters marched outside the courthouse, chanting, “Judge Dugan will be free, no justice, no peace.” Democrats across the country were alarmed.
“There are no kings in America,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said. He called the arrest “a dangerous escalation, an attack on the separation of powers, and we will fight this with everything we have.”
During an appearance on Fox News after the arrest, Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a warning to judges across the country. She was addressing the case of Dugan and a retired New Mexico judge, whom the administration also is targeting for allegedly harboring someone in the country illegally. But her words carried extra weight given the administration’s feuds with federal judges who have ruled against them in lawsuits challenging the administration’s actions and executive orders.
“Some of these judges think they are beyond and above the law and they are not, and we’re sending a very strong message today,” Bondi said.
Hours later, she revoked a Biden administration policy protecting journalists from having their records seized in leak investigations.
Trump himself lambasted judges Friday as he flew to Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome, frustrated that they were stalling his deportation plans.
“These are judges who just want to show how big and important they are,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “They shouldn’t be allowed to do it. We have hundreds of thousands of people we want to get out of the country, and the courts are holding us back.”
The White House has mocked on social media an order, upheld unanimously at the U.S. Supreme Court, from a federal judge that it “facilitate” the return of a Maryland man it admitted mistakenly deporting to a notorious prison in El Salvador. It mocked another federal judge who ordered planes full of immigrants turned around before they reached El Salvador. In another case, it acknowledged deporting additional migrants despite an order against it, arguing that the judge only forbade immigration authorities — and not the military — from removing the men from the country.
Trump’s allies in Congress and online have urged that judges be impeached if they have ruled against his other initiatives to cut the federal government or unilaterally change elections, or even to ignore orders outright. With the Republican-controlled Congress silent as Trump tries to remake the federal government, the courts have emerged as the only branch of government that is actively challenging the president.
Trump also moved to kneecap one other force challenging him by targeting ActBlue. The website funnels small-dollar donations to predominantly Democratic candidates and has become a powerhouse in helping Democrats stay ahead of Republicans financially in many elections. The GOP set up a site to mimic it called WinRed, but Trump’s order only directs a probe into the Democratic site, not the one run by his own party.
Trump asked Bondi to see if ActBlue was a potential conduit for illegal overseas donations. The site said it followed the law, and it and Democrats condemned the probe as politically motivated.
Brendan Nyhan, a political scientist at Dartmouth College, said Trump’s targeting of Democratic Party infrastructure fits a pattern of many authoritarians around the world, who use government power to cripple opposition partiesso they can no longer win elections.
“We’re well past Watergate,” he said, referring to the 1972 scandal that led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation two years later. “The investigation of ActBlue makes clear that we’re not in a fully democratic country.”
“In a democracy,” Nyhan said, “opposition parties don’t have to fight uphill.”
walden
April 26, 2025 at 3:24 pm
And how exactly was the Milwaukee judge “targeted?”
She was open and notorious in her treatment of the agents seeking to arrest the women beater, 2 times deported, illegal alien. She committed a crime. No “targeting” necessary.
The article only proves if you have the intelligence of a moron and the dexterity to handle a crayon (the big thick kind) you can call yourself a “journalist” and dish trash from your basement.
Libertarian guy
April 26, 2025 at 5:14 pm
Once again, I have to agree with Walden on this. However, Walden, this is an Associated Press article. They are another liberal media organization as demonstrated via research on the topic. This time it’s not WIZM. They are very willing to repeat such stories and without any kind of disclaimer that AP is a biased news organization. Since the AP likes to use specific words to Adversely influence the public against Republicans and libertarians I will use the word targeted in a sentence. It seems this judge targeted ICE agents to purposefully make their job of enforcing the federal laws difficult.
kevin
April 28, 2025 at 7:11 am
It is quite telling and maybe not so curious that this article dwells on the ‘weaponization’ argument and not on the argument that gives border and immigration control/rights to the executive branch, not the judicial branch.
It is quite telling that the article does not talk about the 10+ million illegal aliens that came across the border unvetted, unvaccinated (many), unchecked.
It is quite telling that the article does not discuss in detail that these illegal aliens have no ‘right’ due process or regular, standard court procedures or the lackadaisical schedule of these same courts.
The article is crap, it is a hit piece designed to foment emotional outcries and short circuit critical thinking, which it will no doubt be quite effective at creating. Folks don’t actually know how our government works, what the responsibilities of the three branches of government are.
Paul
April 29, 2025 at 8:33 am
If you dislike this news unless it’s to your political view and meets your echo chamber then why read it? Just so you can vent this isn’t local Fox News pretending everything is bad or good based on who said it? News should be neutral period I agree. But there are a lot of truths in that story. I don’t have the facts on what she did exactly. But a president who targets judges and news organizations who don’t agree with his policy is setting a new and dangerous precedent. If Obama shut down Fox or Biden jailed that Trump florida judge who delayed everything about that document case you all would scream. We all need to get out of our echo chambers and view things for America and Americans as a group not a war or side and stop treating politics as our political sports team of choice.
Bob N.
April 29, 2025 at 10:24 am
Hey Paul..
You know the symbol of justice..the blindfolded lady justice with the scale in front of her?
The Milwaukee judge isn’t her. She put her FIST on the scale, and threw the evidence in the crapper.
Paul
April 29, 2025 at 2:55 pm
Thanks Bob
I don’t agree with helping this man if guilty. But that is the court to decide not ICE or me, or you, or Fox News infotainment or CNN or Steven Miller to scream sbout. Anthony Scalia even affirmed that 5th amendment precedent for due process
To immigrants in our country. This includes alien rights 6th amendment in deportation cases. So I guess the law doesn’t matter any longer as long as your preferred candidate is in charge? Rule of law matters period or it used to until someone in charge feels it doesn’t to meet his needs and wants to run the US like a business or authoritarian. Facts over feelings and I am not even a liberal!
Bob N.
April 29, 2025 at 3:21 pm
How would you set up our judicial system to provide all the preliminary court appearances and trials for illegals if we have, as it’s alleged, 11 million of them?
11 million lawbreakers must be processed in a fashion that resolves the matter expeditiously, as the Amendment says. That would not include individual trials , but, instead rapid deporting if the accused does not have proof of legal citizenship in his possession or readily available at his residence.
If you are pulled over while driving, you had better have a valid driver’s license on your person or you are removed from the vehicle and taken into custody.
Paul
April 29, 2025 at 7:07 pm
Since it’s constitutional law and we all agree the system is broken then we need to fix it. Not all illegal immigrants entered illegally some have visa expirations and other issues. 1st offense of illegal entry is a misdemeanor with a fine. So we should work better to Process them efficiently. many are smart hard working people. Immigration is what founded our country after all. It’s not like they can collect welfare or vote it’s illegal though it can be drain on our economy paying them under the table like Ashley or many other business have been caught doing. or hospital ER care. Many just want a job and many industries Americans won’t often touch need them.
Immigrants per capita commit less crimes then us Americans though when they do it’s sensationalized due to the political optics. Drugs mostly come in via a port in a vehicle in mass not on the back of a dude crossing on foot.
So yes let’s fix it and make it better. Process them and welcome those that should be here and better exclude those that should not. Sending anyone to a prison out of the country without due process is not constitutional and not a precedent we should go back to. Grid lock prevents this due to both parties unable to have a rational discussion but it’s 1000% possible and should be done like a surgeon not like my nephew demoing the wreck room with a maul.
FYI Bob my cop friend and the Wisconsin law internet verified driving without a license is a ticket and nobody is taken jnto any custody unless multi defender per wisco law.
Bob N.
April 30, 2025 at 5:49 am
If the driver is alone and has no driver’s license, your “Cop Friend” gives him a ticket and lets him drive away?
His superior better not hear about it. I’ve had acquaintances ordered to lock their car on the side of the road and taken to the cop shop, allowed a phone call to arrange someone pick them up and take care of the car.
No officer would allow a known unlicensed driver to drive away.
As far as your lengthly defense of “hard-working illegals” and “fixing it” and “making it better”.—that’s what we had-for years. Politicians bloviating about enacting a “comprehensive immigration bill” that went nowhere for 30 years while illegals streamed in. Gridlock on the issue while 11 million crossed the border. And, many that came were..let’s say, Not Their Best.
Drugs, rapists, murderers, gangs. Ask the L.A. Police.
Only fear of being apprehended by ICE will stop the inflow. And fear of being sent to El Salvador is not all that bad.
Paul
April 30, 2025 at 9:32 am
Ok so I guess constitutional law matters nothing as long as your side does it but clutch your pearls if the other side does it? Again I choose on the issue I am independent. both parties are flawed and the GOP is currently extremely flawed trying to centralize power of the presidency and have little checks.
Maybe you just don’t want to believe stats I get it I am sure Fox News which my grandfather watches or other YouTube right winged shows like Bannon , PBd etc just rolls immigrant attacks constantly with little data. Mostly to stoke viewer anger and eyeballs to make money. Looking at the crime stats from the FBI says otherwise. Most want work period. They don’t do crime as that causes attention they just want work. Yes there are bad apples just as we have many Americans doing far more crime. Sex and sizzle sell and these “shows” right or left want to sell the sizzle and focus on something that isn’t fully true. Infotainment isn’t worth your time Bob they just want you to watch to make money
Kevin
April 30, 2025 at 9:18 am
I disagree that the system is broken. The people we elected have failed to enforce the law. That is a much different issue.
This failure to enforce the law, and actually cheer leading to break the laws, has caused an extreme imbalance and overloaded the judicial systems. The folks that are here illegally, should be sent back to their home countries until their case is heard. We, the taxpayer shouldn’t have to support them with benefits while that is happening. We should not have to pay for a bloated judicial system either, as a result of willful and promoted illegal immigration.
To your point Bob, let’s welcome people, let’s create laws that help our citizens and industry. But, that would require our legislative branch to actually be able to create a law that is beneficial to the US worker, taxpayer and infrastructure. They have proven they are incapable of that type of work.
You may disagree, but Trump is the first president in a long time that is actively taking this task on, headfirst. Sadly, the previous Republican and democrats administrations have created an environment that will require some aggressive enforcement.
Solution, elect better people.
Listening to Biden, Obama, Bush, et al tell us the border is secure for how many years was infuriating.
Bob N.
April 30, 2025 at 5:50 am
If the driver is alone and has no driver’s license, your “Cop Friend” gives him a ticket and lets him drive away?
His superior better not hear about it. I’ve had acquaintances ordered to lock their car on the side of the road and taken to the cop shop, allowed a phone call to arrange someone pick them up and take care of the car.
No officer would allow a known unlicensed driver to drive away.
As far as your lengthly defense of “hard-working illegals” and “fixing it” and “making it better”.—that’s what we had-for years. Politicians bloviating about enacting a “comprehensive immigration bill” that went nowhere for 30 years while illegals streamed in. Gridlock on the issue while 11 million crossed the border. And, many that came were..let’s say, Not Their Best.
Drugs, rapists, murderers, gangs. Ask the L.A. Police.
Only fear of being apprehended by ICE will stop the inflow. And fear of being sent to El Salvador is not all that bad.