January 1, Virginia Dems Suddenly Preach Due Process After Years of Trump Attacks

Wyatt’s Take

• Virginia Democrats spent years demanding Trump face the full force of the law while denying any political weaponization.
• Now that one of their own faces federal charges, the same voices suddenly want restraint and fair process.
• The reversal shows how quickly principles change when the spotlight lands on their own side.

Virginia Democrats who spent years pushing investigations against Donald Trump are now urging caution after federal prosecutors charged one of their own.

Lieutenant Governor Ghazala Hashmi, who once rejected claims that Trump faced selective prosecution, now stresses Senator Louise Lucas’s constitutional presumption of innocence and her right to full legal due process.

Attorney General Jay Jones, who previously accused Trump of inciting a riot and attempting to overturn an election, now says the allegations against Lucas must be tested in a process free from political interference or bias.

“Those charged with crime are innocent until proven guilty,” Rep. Bobby Scott and Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine declared in a joint statement.

Governor Abigail Spanberger is also emphasizing Lucas’s presumption of innocence after earlier calling congressional defenses of Trump’s handling of classified documents deeply detrimental to national security.

The Democratic Party of Virginia once declared Trump had been rightfully indicted and insisted no one is above the law immediately after his Manhattan indictment in 2023.

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam is the only Democrat who responded to questions about the shift, rejecting suggestions of inconsistency while claiming the timing of Lucas’s arrest is political.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or Republican, the American people deserve answers and accountability from everyone,” Subramanyam said.

Subramanyam called the charges serious and said Lucas should face justice if they are true, while alleging the DOJ and FBI timed the arrest for political reasons two weeks before the election.

Federal prosecutors say the investigation into Lucas began during the Biden administration and involved allegations of a years-long criminal enterprise that included marijuana distribution, money laundering, bribery, and fraud.

U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche pushed back against claims of political retaliation, stating the department does not engage in political paybacks.

“Today, the FBI, the Department of Justice, and the full weight of the federal government have been wielded against an 82-year-old great-grandmother,” Lucas said after surrendering to authorities.

“I grew up under Jim Crow. I’ve seen what happens when people in power try to silence those who stand up to them.”

“I will not be bullied. And I will not back down.”

Wyatt Matters

Middle America has watched Democrats preach one standard for their opponents and another for themselves. When rules and accountability apply evenly, the country works. When they don’t, trust erodes fast.