Democrats love to preach about the rule of law. They just never seem to apply it equally.
When a Republican is accused of wrongdoing, they treat the charge as a conviction. When one of their own is caught up in a scandal, they suddenly discover the presumption of innocence and start talking about political persecution.
This week, Virginia Democrats gave us a textbook example.
On Thursday, federal authorities arrested Virginia State Sen. L. Louise Lucas (D-18th District), the 82-year-old president pro tempore of the state Senate, along with several members of her family. The charges include racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy with intent to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to launder money, conspiracy to commit audit services fraud, and maintaining a drug-involved premises. On a wiretapped phone call, she allegedly called the scheme her "last chance at generational wealth."
Despite the overwhelming evidence laid out by prosecutors, the media went straight to work selling the arrest as political retribution. As my PJ Media colleague Stephen Green noted, NBC News described Lucas as "a frequent critic of President Donald Trump" before it bothered to list a single charge, planting the seed that the charges were political hit job.
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But what really got my attention was Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who weighed in with a statement on X.
"I have read the charging document alleging a series of criminal acts by a member of the Virginia Senate," Spanberger wrote. "In our American system of justice, people are presumed innocent until proven guilty, and that is true for Senator L. Louise Lucas. She and her family deserve the opportunity to present their defense and speak to the allegations presented."
I've been thinking about that line on the presumption of innocence. When one of their own stands accused, Democrats cling to it like scripture. When a Republican stands accused, he's presumed guilty.
Consider the reaction from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) when Trump was indicted in a blatantly partisan Manhattan case in 2023. "No one is above the law, and everyone has the right to a trial to prove innocence," Pelosi said. "Hopefully, the former President will peacefully respect the system, which grants him that right."
Prove innocence. Under the Constitution, the burden falls on the prosecution to prove guilt, and Pelosi knew it. Plenty of other Democrats skipped the pretense entirely and treated the indictments as guilty verdicts.
Brett Kavanaugh never got the benefit of the doubt, either. Democrats seized on Christine Blasey Ford's bogus accusations in a desperate bid to sink his confirmation, and the presumption of innocence was nowhere to be found.
Then there's the case of former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.). In May 2023, shortly after federal prosecutors indicted him on fraud, money laundering, and other charges, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) demanded action against him. That same year, Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) faced allegations involving federal COVID-19 relief funds. Nobody in her party called for her expulsion. Democrat leadership said it would let the ethics process play out rather than prejudge the outcome. She eventually resigned in April.
The presumption of innocence belongs to every American, and it shouldn’t matter what party they belong to. Democrats clearly don’t see it that way. They never give Republicans the presumption of innocence.
