Trump DOJ Targets ActBlue and Judges Amid Crackdown \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ President Trump’s Justice Department launched an investigation into ActBlue and arrested a Milwaukee judge for allegedly aiding a migrant, escalating tensions over the weaponization of government power. Critics warn these moves signal authoritarian tactics. Courts and opposition parties now face mounting pressure.
Quick Looks
- Trump orders DOJ investigation into Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue
- Milwaukee judge arrested for allegedly aiding migrant amid courthouse standoff
- Trump administration accused of weaponizing federal agencies
- Democrats and legal scholars decry authoritarian tactics
- Attorney General Bondi revokes journalist protections after arrest
- Trump criticizes judges delaying immigration policies
- Congressional Republicans largely silent amid escalating executive power
- Trump allies call for impeachment of critical judges
- Pattern mirrors global authoritarian efforts to cripple opposition
- Legal and political worlds bracing for further crackdowns
Deep Look
In a chilling display of expanding executive power, President Donald Trump intensified his campaign against political opponents and independent institutions this week, unleashing a one-two punch that reverberated across America’s legal and political systems.
First, Trump ordered the Justice Department to investigate ActBlue, the powerful Democratic fundraising platform that has fueled progressive electoral victories. The following day, Trump’s FBI arrested Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan, accusing her of helping a migrant evade federal immigration agents.
Together, the moves sent a clear, ominous signal: no institution, no official, and no opposition entity is beyond Trump’s reach.
Weaponizing Federal Power
Steve Levitsky, Harvard political scientist and co-author of How Democracies Die, was blunt:
“This government has been consistent, from the moment it took office, in weaponizing the government and deploying it against critics. This is not a surprise.”
Indeed, the twin actions against ActBlue and Judge Dugan fit a pattern seen throughout Trump’s second term:
- Targeting law firms connected to investigations against him
- Attacking media outlets critical of his policies
- Compiling lists of political “enemies” for future retaliation
- Using law enforcement to intimidate opposition figures
Trump has openly embraced using the full machinery of government to pursue perceived adversaries — a tactic more common in authoritarian states than healthy democracies.
The Arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan
Judge Dugan’s arrest unfolded rapidly and publicly:
- Accused of helping a man accused of being in the U.S. illegally evade ICE agents by using the courthouse’s private jury door
- Described as “visibly angry” upon learning immigration officers were waiting to arrest the man
- Announced via a now-deleted social media post by FBI Director Kash Patel, a Trump loyalist previously associated with the White House “enemies list” project
Protesters quickly rallied outside the courthouse, chanting “Judge Dugan will be free, no justice, no peace,” as Democrats nationwide condemned the move.
“There are no kings in America,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, calling the arrest a dangerous attack on judicial independence.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, however, took to Fox News to issue a warning to judges across the country, declaring:
“Some of these judges think they are beyond and above the law. They are not, and we’re sending a very strong message today.”
Bondi’s comments, combined with Trump’s anger at federal courts blocking his immigration orders, underline the administration’s growing hostility toward judicial oversight.
Targeting ActBlue: The Opposition’s Financial Lifeline
The Trump administration’s decision to investigate ActBlue strikes at the financial heart of Democratic organizing.
- ActBlue, which aggregates small-dollar donations for Democratic candidates, has been critical to progressive electoral success.
- Trump directed Attorney General Bondi to probe whether ActBlue was accepting illegal foreign donations — without evidence.
- No parallel investigation was ordered into WinRed, the GOP’s competing platform.
Democrats and ActBlue immediately condemned the investigation as blatantly political.
“The investigation of ActBlue makes clear that we’re not in a fully democratic country anymore,” warned Brendan Nyhan, political scientist at Dartmouth College.
Nyhan compared Trump’s tactics to those of global autocrats, noting:
“In a democracy, opposition parties don’t have to fight uphill just to exist.”
A System Under Siege
Trump’s combined assaults on the judiciary and political opposition raise profound concerns among democracy experts:
- Executive branch autonomy is increasingly undermining judicial independence.
- Federal power is being selectively deployed to harass and weaken opposition.
- Checks and balances, once robust, are increasingly vulnerable to executive encroachment.
While some judges and legal institutions continue to push back — such as by issuing injunctions against Trump’s immigration orders — the risks are growing.
Trump’s allies have called for:
- Impeaching judges who rule against his policies
- Ignoring judicial orders that block deportations or limit executive actions
- Reorganizing or defunding courts viewed as hostile
These proposals, once unthinkable in mainstream U.S. politics, are now aired regularly by Trump’s supporters on Capitol Hill and conservative media.
What’s Next: Further Retaliations Likely
Friday’s double actions — the arrest of a judge and targeting of ActBlue — may only be the beginning.
- Trump is reportedly considering expanding investigations into additional Democratic-affiliated organizations.
- Conservative groups are preparing litigation campaigns against civil rights organizations seen as aligned with the left.
- New DOJ guidance under Bondi has reversed protections for journalists, making press freedom even more precarious.
As Trump travels abroad to Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome, he leaves behind an American political landscape that feels increasingly authoritarian.
“We’re well past Watergate,” Nyhan said bluntly.
In this new environment, it’s not just political opponents who feel the squeeze — it’s the very idea of an independent judiciary, free opposition, and a free press that is under siege.
Final Takeaway
The Trump administration’s targeting of ActBlue and the arrest of a sitting judge reveal an accelerating trend: the consolidation of government power not to serve the public, but to punish opposition.
The future of American democracy may well hinge on how — and whether — institutions can resist.
Trump DOJ Targets Trump DOJ Targets
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