Trump at the border wall in June 2020. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty
Brick by brick, the law is building a wall around former President Trump, conservative columnist David French writes in the New York Times.
Why it matters: The U.S. legal system has withstood concerted attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Many of those involved — including President Trump, his lawyers and his media allies — are facing consequences.
Zoom in: Courts and prosecutors, in real time and huge pressure, have responded to election denial and the Capitol attack in a way that's "meting out justice to the participants and establishing a series of legal precedents that will stand as enduring deterrents to a future rebellion," French writes.
- Michigan's attorney general on Tuesday charged 16 pro-Trump fake electors for their involvement in an alleged scheme to reverse the election results.
- That same day, Trump said he'd received a letter from special counsel Jack Smith informing him he's a target of the grand jury investigation into Jan. 6.
- A day earlier, Georgia's Supreme Court rejected an attempt by Trump's lawyers to stymie another investigation into election misconduct, which could soon heat up.
While Trump remains the GOP front-runner despite his growing legal woes, some 350 participants in the Jan. 6 insurrection have been charged.
- Fox News paid a record defamation settlement to Dominion Voting Systems over false claims about vote rigging, and OAN and Newsmax still face pending cases over claims made on their air.
- Several Trump former lawyers also face lawsuits, censure and potential disbarment, French notes.
The bottom line: "In an era when so many American institutions have failed," French writes, the law and courts are working.