Let's List the Democrat Criminals Elected to High Office
The Left Has No Room to Complain About Trump’s Bogus Felonies
On Monday, Donald Trump will be inaugurated as America’s 47th president. Undoubtedly, one of the never-ending refrains from the Left will be “a convicted criminal is now president.” It is utter hypocrisy for Democrats to pretend a (genuine) criminal has never been elected to public office before.
No better example illustrates Democrats utter hypocrisy on this than the 28-year congressional tenure of Democrat Alcee Hastings. First elected in 1992 and rarely facing serious opposition, Hastings was elected to Congress 15 times until his death in 2021. Congress, however, was merely Hastings' second act. In 1979, he was nominated and confirmed by the Senate as a federal judge in the Southern District of Florida. After only two years on the bench, Hastings was indicted for soliciting a bribe in exchange for reducing the sentences of two felons with links to organized crime. While acquitted at trial, suspicions he had lied and falsified evidence led to the House of Representatives voting 413–3 to impeach him. In 1989, the Senate convicted Hastings on 8 articles, ending his judicial service. Three years later, he was elected to the House and largely welcomed with open arms.
In an ironic turn of fate, Hastings served in the House long enough to vote to impeach two federal judges himself.
Irony Can Be Pretty Ironic
Nor is Trump the first politician to be elected to federal office following a conviction. In the infamous 1969 Chappaquiddick incident, Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy (MA) drove his car off a bridge at night, leading to the death of a young woman, Mary Jo Kopechne. Kennedy pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident. Just a misdemeanor, though; Kennedy’s failure to report the incident for hours, prevented any possibility of determining if he was driving under the influence of alcohol that night.
Kennedy would go on to serve in the U.S. Senate until his death in 2009.
Following a dramatic 1990 arrest for using illegal drugs, D.C. mayor Marion Berry, a Democrat, was convicted of cocaine possession. Berry would end up mounting an improbable comeback to elected office. After serving six months in federal prison, Barry immediately launched a campaign for a city council seat, winning by a 3–1 margin. Berry then pursued a fourth term as mayor, ultimately winning with 56 percent of the vote.
The District of Columbia even erected a statue to the guy.
Looking farther back, in 1956 U.S. Rep. Thomas J. Lane—a Democrat—was convicted of tax evasion and served four months in prison. He was reelected by Massachusetts voters just four months later and served until 1963. Lane then served as a member of the Massachusetts Governor’s Council for 12 years.
Voters have sent criminals to office at all levels. In August 2013, police found Democratic Virginia State Delegate Joe Morrissey in his home with an minor who worked for his law firm. After his conviction the next year for a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, Morrisey gave in to pressure and resigned his seat. Morrisey then ran as an independent in the special election to succeed himself, winning his seat back.
It’s more indcredible Morrisey was elected to public office in the first place. Prior to being elected to office for the first time, Morrisey had already been cited for contempt multiple times, threatened a judge, and gotten into a fist-fight with defense counsel in a trial. A 1999 altercation with a handyman resulted in an assault and battery conviction. In 2001 he was disbarred in Virginia. Pursuing a legal career overseas, a New South Wales bar rejected his application to practice law after his prior disbarment came to light. Morrisey would later be disbarred for a second time in Virginia in 2018.
After being disqualified from his House of Delegates seat on a residency issue, Morrisey successfully ran in 2019 as a Democrat for the Virginia State Senate. In January 2022, outgoing Virginia governor Ralph Northam pardoned his fellow Democrat for the contributing tothe delinquency of a minor charge.
The Will of the Voter Rules
In New York, Kevin Parker has served as a state senator since 2003 despite what City & State NY described as a “long history of making explosive remarks and getting involved in scuffles.” In 2005, Parker accepted a plea deal on charges of assaulting a New York City traffic agent who was citing his car for double parking, with the charges dropped in exchange for taking anger management classes. In 2010, Parker was convicted on two misdemeanor charges of criminal mischief after he chased and attacked a press photographer, breaking his finger. Sentenced to three years of probation, fined a $1,000, ordered to pay compensation, and ordered to attend anger management classes for a second time, Parker actually denied he had an anger issue. Despite these convictions and numerous other allegations of violence, threats, and outbursts, Parker has been reelected every single time. Parker is now running for both New York City Comptroller and Brooklyn Borough president.
In each of these cases, the will of the voters ultimately prevailed. The American people get to choose who they want to serve them. These convictions were not a secret for any of these politicians—and neither were Trump’s. Last fall, the American people overwhelmingly chose Donald Trump to serve them—and not the Democratic machine that twisted the law beyond recognition in order to indict him.