John,

No President has ever made revenge against his enemies his top priority the way Donald Trump is doing now. According to NPR, Trump has issued more than 100 threats to investigate, prosecute, imprison or otherwise punish his perceived opponents. This abuse of power cannot be tolerated in a functioning democracy. It’s time to pass the No Political Enemies Act.

He has indicted former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James; ordered the FBI and the Justice Department to investigate political opponents including Senator Adam Schiff, National Security Advisor John Bolton, and Representative Liz Cheney, and called on Congress to subpoena liberal fundraising platform ActBlue.

Trump even reposted an X post on Truth Social calling for the prosecution of members of the U.S. Capitol Police for defending the Capitol on January 6: "The cops should be charged and the protesters should be freed." (Source: Donald J. Trump on Truth Social, Nov. 27, 2023)

He has also stripped or threatened to strip billions of dollars in funding for universities that refuse to bow to his demands to control their hiring, teaching, and enrollment standards, or promote diversity or climate research, such as Harvard, Columbia, Cornell, and UCLA. The Chancellor of UC Berkeley caved to Trump, giving him the names of pro-Palestinian activists.

He has pressured networks like NBC and CNN, calling for the revocation of broadcast licenses over coverage he disliked, and used the FCC to press for the cancellation of comedians such as Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel for mocking him on air. Even nonprofits and advocacy groups are under federal scrutiny after criticizing his administration’s policies.

The No Political Enemies Act is Congress’s answer to this growing abuse of power. The bill would protect individuals, nonprofits, faith groups, educational institutions, and media outlets from politically motivated harassment or prosecution.

Donald Trump has made clear: he views public service as a tool for personal revenge.

This isn’t rhetoric -- it’s a deliberate strategy to use the machinery of government to intimidate dissenters and silence opposition. That’s how authoritarians tighten their grip: by making ordinary Americans afraid to speak out.

The No Political Enemies Act would:

• Prohibit federal funds from being used to retaliate against lawful speech or activism.

• Establish clear legal protections for those targeted for their political beliefs.

• Allow citizens and organizations to sue when officials abuse their power for partisan gain.

Trump and his allies have shown a willingness to exploit tragedy and national crises -- from the George Floyd protests to the COVID-19 pandemic -- as pretexts for cracking down on critics and expanding executive power. Each act of retaliation is a sign our democracy is under direct attack by authoritarian rule.

Under the Constitution, the right to “petition the government for a redress of grievances” belongs to the American people -- not to the Oval Office, regardless of Trump’s claim that he “took the freedom of speech away.” No president should ever have the power to silence opponents, threaten investigations, or wield federal agencies as instruments of political revenge.

Tell Congress: Pass the No Political Enemies Act now. Protect the First Amendment and ensure that no president can ever use the government to punish dissent.

Thank you for standing up against the abuse of presidential power.

-DFA AF Team