It’s not exactly a secret that Donald Trump hopes to exact revenge on his domestic foes if voters give him a second term. NBC News reported earlier this month, “Fresh off his historic guilty verdict in New York, Trump’s public comments … have increasingly focused on the idea of ‘retribution’ against his enemies if he returns to the White House.”
The report added that the former president “has done at least five interviews since his guilty verdict. In all five, he has talked about possible retribution.”
The presumptive Republican nominee hasn’t been subtle about any of this. On the contrary, he’s literally boasted to his followers, “I am your retribution.”
Among the follow-up questions, of course, is who, exactly, is likely to face retaliation in the event the presumptive Republican nominee returns to power.
New York magazine published a good report along these lines this week, reviewing “who or what Trump and his advisers have indicated they’ll target for revenge, including threats both explicit and vague.” Many of the names are familiar, including President Joe Biden, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, special counsel Jack Smith, members of the bipartisan Jan. 6 committee, retired Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley, and a variety of prominent journalists.
But when it comes to compiling an enemies list, it’s also worth appreciating the fact that it’s increasingly likely to include obscure federal workers, too. Talking Points Memo, highlighting a striking article from the Associated Press, explained the apparent fact that the Heritage Foundation is funding “the creation of a blacklist of federal government workers who MAGA loyalists claim might obstruct the Trump II agenda.”
The work of compiling the list of names of some 100 government employees is being done by a Kentucky fellow named Tom Jones and his American Accountability Foundation. The work is being financed with the help of a $100,000 “Heritage Innovation Prize” from the Heritage Foundation, long a bastion of Reagan conservatism in DC but now fully in MAGA mode. Heritage announced the prize winner back in May, referring to “the presence of anti-American bad actors burrowed into the administrative state.”
The Heritage Foundation, naturally, referred to the initiative as an effort to expose the “Deep State.” With this goal in mind, the once-respected think tank has invested in Jones — who’s worked for former Republican Sen. Jim DeMint, as well as incumbent Republican Sens. Ron Johnson and Ted Cruz — and his operation. According to the AP’s account, they’re “digging into the backgrounds, social media posts and commentary of key high-ranking government employees, starting with the Department of Homeland Security.” The same article added, “They’re relying in part on tips from his network of conservative contacts, including workers. In a move that alarms some, they’re preparing to publish the findings online.” Jacqueline Simon, policy director at the American Federation of Government Employees, described the effort “shocking,” which seems more than fair under the circumstances.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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