On March 4, thousands of people attended rallies in dozens of places across the country to show their support for President Trump’s agenda to make America great again. Here in Minnesota, Trump supporters who gathered at the Capitol in St. Paul were set upon by thugs who flooded the Capitol and used mace, tasers, smoke bombs, firecrackers, and their fists to suppress any expression of support for the President. The violence employed by these self-styled “anti-fascists” resulted in eight arrests and charges for various crimes.
Woody Kaine, son of Hillary Clinton’s running mate, Tim Kaine, was among the Antifa members arrested. Kaine was charged with two misdemeanors in addition to obstruction of legal process, a gross misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail and/or a $3,000 fine.
Kaine was initially set to take part in a hearing together with the five other arrested protesters on January 24, but Kaine’s hearing was quietly moved up to December 11. At that hearing, Kaine’s charges were reduced, and he was ordered to pay a $150 fine. In other words, Kaine was separated from his less-well-known co-defendants and given a slap on the wrist.
One can only wonder whether Kaine’s family–part of the national Democrat elite–had something to do with the change.
Indeed, regardless of any actual impropriety, the appearance of impropriety is itself problematic. When it appears that the law is applied more leniently to one class of persons than another, it fosters public distrust in the legal system. And when people don’t trust that the laws will be applied fairly, it reduces the incentive to follow the law at all.
In short, partiality in the administration of justice leads to chaos and disorder, threatening public safety and our cherished freedoms.
The Attorney General is the top law-enforcement and legal officer in the state. It is up to the Attorney General to coordinate with and support county attorneys to ensure that all crimes are expeditiously prosecuted and that justice is fairly administered.
Unfortunately, over the course of the 46 years that Democrats have held the office of Attorney General, they have gutted the office’s criminal-law operations. Instead of focusing resources on keeping Minnesotans safe and maintaining law and order, the Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson spends her time and our taxpayer dollars focusing on political issues. Some examples include suing the President over his entirely lawful policy (recently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court) to temporarily halt migration from eight countries that are either sponsors of terror or that do not have properly functioning governments.
That’s why I am running for Attorney General: to put an end to the political games and enforce the law fairly and impartially; to stand up for the rule of law itself. To maintain law and order, the law must be blind. The law must not take account of status or political point of view. That means no special treatment for lawbreakers like Woody Kaine.
Doug Wardlow is a Republican Candidate for Minnesota Attorney General. His website www.dougwardlowag.com
Doug Wardlow
Doug Wardlow is a Constitutional lawyer and former Minnesota State Representative. He is running for Minnesota Attorney General.