Fox News political analyst Juan Williams published a commentary piece on Monday arguing former President Donald Trump should be barred from running for the White House in 2024 because of his connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol incursion.
The power, Williams claimed, rests with Attorney General Merrick Garland.
“Garland has the power to rule out another Trump run by citing ‘section 3 of the 14th amendment, which bars anyone from holding office who “engaged in insurrection,” against the U.S.,’ Robert Reich, the former Labor secretary, recently wrote in The Guardian,” Williams wrote in The Hill.
“So, yes, there is a case to be made that Trump committed crimes against America,” he added.
Williams cited a Washington Post article to argue that Trump’s “attempted coups cannot be ignored.”
“‘The bottom line is this: Now that Trump is out of office, the DOJ’s view that sitting presidents cannot be indicted no longer shields him. Attempted coups cannot be ignored,’ wrote lawyers Laurence Tribe, Barbara McQuade and Joyce White Vance in a recent column in The Washington Post,” Williams wrote.
“If Garland’s Justice Department is going to restore respect for the rule of law, no one, not even a former president can be above it,” Williams added.
He concluded, “Yes, Garland has the power to stop Trump from running again. It is time to use it.”
In another piece published by The Hill on Aug. 9, Williams argued, “Former President Trump and his disciples in the GOP are really putting the ‘con’ in modern conservatism these days.”
Addressing Trump’s recent fundraising reports, Williams claimed, “Trump’s fundraising haul exceeded the sums raised by his party’s House and Senate campaign groups. As an individual, he was basically on pace with the Republican National Committee.”
Despite attacks by Williams and others who claim Trump should not run for president in 2024, the former president continues to make moves that indicate he’s planning a comeback.
Two recent hires by Trump are driving speculation that he is gearing up to launch another presidential campaign in 2024.
The Des Moines Register reported Thursday that Trump, through his Save America PAC, has hired Iowa natives and Republican Party operatives Eric Branstad and Alex Latcham as consultants.
Although it is not yet clear what Branstad and Latcham were hired to do, both have an intricate knowledge of state politics.
Save America communications director Taylor Budowich confirmed to the Register that both men are now on the payroll.
Budovich said he “would ‘leave you to your own devices’ to draw any conclusions about the group’s new Iowa hires,” the paper reported.
“Save America’s focus is electing candidates across the country both in the midterms and beyond,” he told the Register. “And that’s what this is about.”
Bloomberg also reported Trump’s PAC had hired Branstad and Latcham as senior advisers. The outlet noted both Iowans already have close ties to Trump.
Latcham served as the Trump campaign’s Iowa political director leading up to the 2016 general election. He then became the White House deputy political director under Trump.
Branstad served as the Trump campaign’s state director in 2016 before working at the Commerce Department as a senior White House adviser. He also served as an adviser in Iowa during the 2020 campaign.
Trump lost the Iowa caucuses in 2016 to then-GOP presidential contender Ted Cruz, but won the caucuses handily in 2020. He won the state in both the 2016 and 2020 general elections.
