Dear Editor,

The recent undemocratic and unpatriotic words and actions of former president Donald J. Trump and his M.A.G.A. Republican/conservative cohorts in the legislature and in the media represents, sadly, but another attempt by the Republicans/conservatives to further divide our great nation in an obvious and disgraceful attempt, essentially, to get what they want by any means necessary.

Recall that it was also Republican U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy from the state of Wisconsin, who, unashamedly, used such tactics in order to promote his own personal agenda, which began during the Truman Administration, in a speech which he made while appearing at the Republican Women’s Club in Wheeling, West Virginia, when he stated in February 1950 that he had a list identifying “205 individuals involved in the U.S. government who had loyalties to the Communist Partly,” which was said when we, as a nation, were involved in the Cold War with the communist Soviet Union.

However, on July 1950, he was unable to produce the name of even one individual of whom he had accused at the Tydings Subcommittee Hearings, who, as a result, concluded that his allegations proved to be nothing but a “hoax and a fraud.”

In spite of the aforementioned discreditation, Sen. McCarthy continued his campaign of hateful rhetoric unabashed, and commonly referred to those who questioned his charade as “Good as Red (communist)” and was able to raise a considerable amount in political donations, which he utilized to help in his re-election to the U.S. Senate in 1952, and, incredibly, was appointed as chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of Government Operations.

However, as a result of then-president Dwight D. Eisenhower (who served as leader of the U.S. Army during World War II) questioning Sen. McCarthy’s tactics and motivations, the senator began hearings to investigate the U.S. Army in 1954, which led to Sen. McCarthy being censured by the U.S. Senate in December 1954, which resulted in his being completely discredited, and, as a result, was reported to have become a recluse, and passed away from alcoholism on May 2, 1957.

Now, former president Trump, along with his committing of literally countless highly questionable acts while in office, decided to, incredibly, take a reported 26 boxes of classified top-secret documents from the White House to his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, 15 boxes of which he agreed to return to the federal government, but chose to withhold 11 additional boxes of such documents, which were discovered by federal agents during a recent raid on his facility.

It is quite obvious that former president Donald Trump continues to clearly place himself above the law, and to this day the former president refuses to admit that he did, indeed, lose the 2020 U.S. Presidential election to Joe Biden, with absolutely no evidence whatsoever to support his outrageous claim, and all evidence has proven that the election was absolutely fair, and that he had lost.

Is it not finally time that former president Trump begins to prioritize the rule of law, and place our great country and its people, above placating his massive ego?

Sincerely,

Richard Hord,

Martins Ferry