MAGA maximalism: Trump's base loves Wisconsin judge arrest
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The FBI's arrest of a Wisconsin judge shocked the establishment. But it's exactly the kind of escalation the MAGA base has been agitating for.
- "This is not the time for summer soldiers or sunshine patriots," MAGA podcaster Jack Posobiec told Axios, invoking founding father Thomas Paine.
Why it matters: Friday's arrest of Milwaukee County judge Hannah Dugan, on charges of obstructing an immigration arrest, is a stunning escalation of President Trump's battles with political opponents.
But listen to the reaction from influential voices in MAGAworld, and you can see why you can expect more moves like it.
- "I wouldn't necessarily say that what we've seen out of the DOJ so far rises to the level of full wrath when you're talking about accountability for people who waged lawfare," Natalie Winters, a correspondent for Steve Bannon's "War Room" podcast, said Friday after the arrest. "We haven't had any names released."
The backstory: When Trump took office, his diehard fans were craving a pedal-to-the-metal offensive against the "deep state." Trump delivered a shock-and-awe series of first-100-day actions and executive orders.
- But MAGA podcasts and social-media posts showed the true believers wanted more: arrests of political foes.
On Day 1, supporters got a dose of Trump maximalism when he blanket-pardoned most of those charged over the Jan. 6 riot — including those accused of violence.
- The movement then expected a wave of arrests of bureaucrats. It never came.
- "I don't know about you, but I'm still waiting for prosecutions," Judicial Watch head Tom Fitton said earlier this month.
Behind the scenes: Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel have urged patience, insisting to the base that they're hard at work targeting "deep state" provocateurs and other enemies of MAGA. Friday's arrest took some pressure off.
- Patel has "been taking a little heat from our base, actually," Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) said on Charlie Kirk's podcast. "Kash and Pam both — [Trump faithful] want to know: What are they doing? They need to get started. This just shows you they do a lot of stuff behind closed doors and they can't do it in public, but they're acting fast on it."
- "Just because you're not seeing something in the news does not mean that it's not happening," Mike Davis of the Article III Project, and a top Trump ally, added on Steve Bannon's "War Room" podcast. "There's a lot going on. There's a lot more that's coming. I can assure you … we're firing on all cylinders in the Trump administration."
Catch up quick: Dugan was arrested Friday for allegedly obstructing the arrest of a man who was in the country illegally, but was appearing in her courtroom on different charges. Dugan allegedly told FBI agents they needed to go see the court's chief judge before ushering the defendant out through a side door.
- The defendant was ultimately apprehended after a brief foot chase.
Duggan's arrest came after a former judge in New Mexico was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Thursday on evidence-tampering charges.
- Jose Cano, a former Doña Ana County magistrate judge, and his wife were allegedly allowing alleged Venezuelan gang members to stay on their property. Their arrest similarly sent MAGA into an uproar, combining immigration, crime and the "deep state" into one rallying cry.
Go deeper: Congress erupts over FBI arrest of Wisconsin judge
