Official Statement on the Trump Indictment and the Rule of Law

Democracy is not guaranteed. It depends on the engagement of good citizens united around common principles. As Mormon Women for Ethical Government, we urge our fellow citizens to become familiar with and learn about the facts and underlying relevant legal processes associated with both United States of America v. Donald J. Trump and The State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump. These cases will mark an inflection point in the history of our government: We the people can decide if our nation will uphold Constitutional government by insisting that even our most powerful leaders be held accountable to the rule of law. 

It is critical that as citizens we retain a clear vision of what is alleged to have occurred. A past president has been repeatedly indicted for multiple crimes against the people of the United States. If committed, these crimes were done in violation of a sworn oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. It is alleged that the former president violated laws in an attempt to nullify the power and authority of individual voters, instead claiming that power for himself. Courts of law are the appropriate space to respond to these acts. 

Investigating politicians for legitimate alleged crimes is not partisan; it is part of the checks and balances designed into our system of governance. The alleged crimes harmed the voting public, and it is individual Americans working in their sworn capacities as prosecutors and grand jurors who have found sufficient evidence to indict. In both the federal and state cases, grand juries made up of regular citizens, not partisan lawyers, voted to bring charges against the former president. We should allow all those working within our justice system to complete their work without being subject to unfounded accusations of political motivation.

These citizens are working in our service, and we owe them something in return. Over the past decade, American politics has been exhausting, breeding cynicism and despair. But we must fight the desire to disengage, and we must refuse to allow disinformation to determine our future. Informed and principled citizens can be crucial advocates for the rule of law, and we must each remake ourselves as voters and citizens driven by principle rather than party. 

Each of us should find the courage necessary to see ourselves as leaders and take steps to persuade our fellow Americans of a better way — one in which we do not hand our power to an unethical actor from any political party. We must stop ceding our rightful place in the public square to those who rage and call for violence. Our family, friends, and acquaintances need to see us as examples of truth seekers and peacemakers. Whether in private conversations, on social media, in communications with our lawmakers, or in public speaking and writing, we must be the ones who speak up forcefully for the rule of law and the peaceful transfer of power. We must be articulate and composed defenders of those who seek to accomplish this on our behalf.

These indictments are unprecedented. But they have been issued in response to unprecedented acts by a U.S. president who used his position to generate anger, willfully deceive the public, divide our nation, and weaken our systems of government — all with the openly stated aim to concentrate power in his own hands. These are the acts of an authoritarian leader. Within a democracy, it is given to the people to grant political power to — or withdraw it from — our representatives, and we must peacefully and lawfully resist all attempts to take that power from us. We can love our fellow citizens, defend objective truth, and hold fast in word and deed to common principles of justice and democratic governance. Together we can stand courageously in defense of what is right.