Reckless statements and their impact in the Mar-A-Lago search
Words matter and have consequences, particularly when spoken by lawyers and public leaders about contentious legal processes. In these circumstances lawyers, in particular, have an important role to play in upholding, not undermining, the rule of law and the independence of the judicial system. And, in a highly charged environment, like the one we find ourselves in today, violence cannot be an unanticipated outcome when the words used are inflammatory, misleading, or reckless.
The execution of a search warrant by the FBI on former President Trump’s Mar-A-Lago complex unleashed an uproar with little precedent that quickly escalated to threats and acts of violence against federal law enforcement personnel and a federal judge. During this controversy, lawyers and high public office holders have provided misleading and confusing statements and have expressed contempt for – and leveled thinly-veiled threats against – law enforcement officers, a judge and the entirety of the criminal justice system and those who administer it.
Remarks have demonstrated an alarming acceptance of violence as a means of redress of perceived wrongs committed by law enforcement officers against the former President, and were quickly echoed and amplified, in both words and deeds, by those who would advocate violence as an acceptable response.