The former national spokesperson for Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign blamed Trump's inability to "drain the swamp" for his latest legal troubles, suggesting the former president wouldn't be facing criminal charges if he delivered on his earlier campaign promise.
On Wednesday, Katrina Pierson, a communications consultant who served as Trump's 2016 campaign spokesperson and who was hired as a senior adviser for his 2020 campaign, said she found it "hysterical" that Republicans were outraged over the "weaponization" of the Justice Department (DOJ).
"People voted for Trump because he claimed to want to #DrainTheSwamp. The Deep State was a pinnacle of the 2016 campaign, and one of the main reasons I chose to work for him," Pierson tweeted.
During his first presidential bid, Trump, who has now become the first former president to face federal criminal charges, vowed to "drain the swamp" in Washington, D.C., using the phrase as a metaphor for his plan to fix the problems of the federal government. Pierson said Trump not only decided to abandon the promise but appointed his 2016 critics to top posts in his administration and kept on some of his predecessor's staff.
"What exactly were you expecting to happen?" she asked. "How many times do you have to get punched in the face before you realize that it's not because he loves you?"
Newsweek reached out to Trump's 2024 campaign via email for comment.
The federal indictment against Trump has rocked American politics and divided Republicans, who must decide whether or not to defend the GOP's leading 2024 candidate. Trump has been indicted on 37 counts in relation to the alleged mishandling of confidential records, which were found at his Mar-a-Lago home a year and a half after he left the White House. Trump pleaded not guilty on Tuesday.
I find it hysterical that the weaponization of the DOJ is suddenly a new thing.
— Katrina Pierson (@KatrinaPierson) June 14, 2023
People voted for Trump because he claimed to want to #DrainTheSwamp. The Deep State was a pinnacle of the 2016 campaign, and one of the main reasons I chose to work for him.
He decided NOT to…
Trump's staunchest allies on Capitol Hill have used the indictment to fuel their attacks against the Biden administration, accusing the federal government of weaponizing the DOJ to launch a politically-motivated campaign against Trump's White House ambitions.
"The American people are smart and understand this is the epitome of the illegal and unprecedented weaponization of the federal government against Joe Biden's leading opponent, President Donald J. Trump," House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik said last week.
Senator Lindsey Graham also warned the DOJ that if federal charges were laid in the other probe into Trump's involvement with the January 6 Capitol riot, it would be "considered a major outrage by Republicans."
Graham told CNN's Manu Raju on Wednesday that a Trump indictment tied to January 6 would signal that the DOJ "could convict any Republican of anything in Washington, D.C."
Pierson told Republicans not to be outraged and called on them to "acknowledge the facts and place the accountability where it belongs."
"Then maybe common sense will make a long overdue comeback," she wrote.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Katherine Fung is a Newsweek reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. and world politics. ... Read more
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