Ex-Official's Concern About What Trump May Do to Critics in Second Term

Former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official Miles Taylor who served under Donald Trump voiced concern on Saturday about what a potential second term may look like for the former president, warning that he may weaponize the Department of Justice (DOJ) against his political rivals if reelected.

Trump, who is the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is currently facing a flurry of legal battles that could complicate his bid to become the commander-in-chief once again. He has been indicted and arrested in four criminal cases—two state level and two federal level. However, he has pleaded not guilty to all counts and insists the charges against him are politically motivated.

The former president is facing charges in New York relating to claims that he orchestrated the payment of hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election, mishandled classified documents after leaving the White House, and broke the law attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election—nationwide and in Georgia.

"A number of folks who worked in the Trump administration with me and have since spoken out against the ex-president, we joke darkly about the fact that in a second term, a number of us will be in orange jumpsuits in Guantanamo Bay," Taylor said during an interview Saturday on MSNBC's Alex Witt Reports.

He added: "I say that the comment is half facetious because Donald Trump actually did have a vision while I was in the administration to go use the terrorist prison at Guantanamo Bay to house political prisoners."

The former DHS official also said the former president wanted to move people from the southern border to the prison to send a message, but chose not to because of the price and because it could not hold the number of people he wanted to send there.

"That was the mindset of the man when he was president of the United States," Taylor said. "You have seen him since double down on his intention to again use the justice system for political purposes, and specifically admitting that he would do so to go after his enemies. I think that's very chilling."

Trump has previously made questionable statements, most recently after his arraignment in Washington, D.C., in his federal 2020 election case. The former president posted to Truth Social, his social media platform, and wrote, "IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I'M COMING AFTER YOU!"

Joyce Vance, former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, said that Trump's post went beyond "free speech," and that he should be forced to "explain it to the judge" a short time later in a post to X, formerly Twitter, last month.

Taylor also took to X on Saturday to discuss Trump again and wrote, "What was the biggest threat I saw at DHS? It wasn't foreign enemies. It was Donald Trump himself, who put the country in danger time and time again. He remains — literally — the most serious danger to the homeland security of the United States."

Newsweek has reached out to Trump's campaign via email for comment.

Meanwhile, political analyst and Dillard University professor Robert Collins told Newsweek on Saturday, "I am sure Trump will try to get revenge if he gets back into the White House. However, it's important for everyone to understand there are a series of constitutional safeguards, such as grand jury indictments, enforced by the judiciary, that stop any president from simply locking up all his political enemies on a whim."

He added: "Also, the vast majority of federal law-enforcement officials are not political appointees. They are career federal agents and prosecutors who are protected by the civil service system. Almost all of them would simply refuse to carry out an unlawful order to arrest political opponents. That being said, Trump could certainly create a lot of chaos if he were to get back into the White House."

Collins said that the real danger is not the former president locking up a bunch of innocent people, but the attempt to weaponize the DOJ against his enemies.

"He would likely trigger a lot of resignations, which would create chaos. This would hinder the justice department in being able to carry out its basic law enforcement functions," the political analyst said.