‘Trump Is Using State Power To Punish Political Opponents’ — US Senator Warns

SENATOR Chris Murphy has warned that the United States is facing “one of the most dangerous moments in its history”, accusing President Donald Trump of using federal agencies to punish political opponents.

Speaking on ABC News’ This Week, the Democrat senator from Connecticut said Trump was deploying the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) against critics in a manner reminiscent of authoritarian regimes.

“The United States is now employing the full power of the federal government … to punish, lock up, take down off the air all of his political enemies,” Murphy told co-anchor Jonathan Karl. “This is what happens in Iran, in Cuba, in China – in deeply repressive states where if you dare to speak truth to power, you are silenced. There is no more fundamental right in America than the right to protest against your government.”

Murphy was particularly critical of Trump’s threats to have the FCC re-examine broadcasting licences for television networks that repeatedly criticise him, describing it as an attempt to silence dissent through coercion.

“Every president has taken issue with what the media says and may try to persuade them to change their reporting. But that is very different from using the power of government in a coercive way, which is illegal,” he said. “The Supreme Court has been clear: you cannot use regulatory authority to force a broadcaster to say what you want, under threat of legal consequence.”