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Last week, President Donald Trump demanded that Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland — a Democrat who played a major role in the impeachment proceedings against him in his first term — be expelled from Congress.

The demand flouts separation of powers standards dictating that the executive and legislative branches govern and enforce rules for themselves without interference from the other. It is also an extreme request, as expulsion for members of Congress is generally reserved for greater offenses, not political disagreements.

“Jamie Raskin, a Loser in Life, who worked endlessly during my First Term to impeach me, and failed miserably, wasting the Country’s money, time, and effort, will guaranteed be trying to do it again, despite one of the most successful Presidencies in History,” Trump claimed in a Truth Social post on Thursday.

Trump also railed against Raskin’s involvement in the select committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. The president claimed in his post that, “if Biden didn’t give him a pardon, he’d be in jail right now!”

Raskin was indeed granted a pardon by former President Joe Biden, but that was largely done in anticipation of Trump weaponizing the Department of Justice (DOJ), which Trump has done relentlessly during his current tenure. Trump’s post about Raskin implies that he intends to use the DOJ to target the Democratic lawmaker, too.

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“The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense,” Biden wrote in a statement accompanying Raskin’s and other individuals’ pardons.

Continuing in his post, Trump said........

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