Justice for Trump’s Friends. Punishment for His Enemies.

Donald Trump has a simple approach to justice: If you’re loyal to him, the law is negotiable. If you’re not, watch out.

His Justice Department has pursued former FBI Director James Comey, a longtime Trump adversary, and New York Attorney General Letitia James, who brought a civil fraud case against him. Both deny wrongdoing, and their initial criminal cases were dismissed after a judge ruled the prosecutor had been unlawfully appointed.

Meanwhile, Trump pardoned longtime adviser Roger Stone and Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law. His Justice Department also moved to dismiss corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams while citing the mayor’s ability to cooperate with Trump’s immigration agenda.

Then there’s January 6. Trump granted sweeping clemency to participants in the assault on the Capitol, including people who attacked police officers while trying to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power.

Compare that with the administration’s treatment of protesters outside the Prairieland immigration detention center in Texas. Some defendants received 50-year sentences after convictions that included terrorism-related charges. Protesters set off fireworks and damaged property; during the incident, one participant shot and wounded a police officer. He was separately convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to 100 years.

Adding insult to injury, in May the administration announced a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization fund” for people claiming they’d been wrongly targeted by the government. Trump allies and January 6 defendants lined up to seek compensation, and the administration refused to rule out payouts to rioters. Preposterous! The fund was later rescinded, but the proposal speaks volumes about whose grievances Trump considers worthy of taxpayer money.

Violence against police deserves accountability. So does vandalism. But why does Trump offer clemency to violent supporters while his administration pursues decades-long sentences for his opponents? His designation of “antifa” as a terrorist organization is especially troubling: It is a decentralized movement, not an organization with a central leadership.

Trump calls this law and order. It looks more like loyalty and revenge.