Trump uses “treason” to demonize political opponents. It won’t end well.
President Donald Trump likes to describe anyone who disagrees with him as “treasonous.” This week, in a span of less than 24 hours, he used the phrase to describe both the individuals who conducted the Mueller investigation as well as Democratic lawmakers who disagree with his border policy. But not only is Trump misusing the word, he’s doing so in a way that appears to intentionally inflame political divisions.
The word “treason” has a very specific — and very narrow — meaning written right into the U.S. Constitution. It refers to “levying war” against the states or “adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort.” According to U.S. treason law, the word “enemies” refers to a nation or organization with which the United States is in an open or declared war.
Virtually none of Trump’s references to “treason” meet this definition. The same could be said for some of his detractors who have described his willingness to accept election support from Russia as treasonous. While Russia may be an adversary of the United States — and there are other reasons why such alleged collusion could be considered illegal — it would never meet the definition of “treason” because the United States is not at war with Russia.
View the complete April 12 article by Zack Ford on the ThinkProgress website here.