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Trump’s ‘revenge tour’ has its hits and its misses

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by Liz Peek, opinion contributor - 05/01/26 8:00 AM ET

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by Liz Peek, opinion contributor - 05/01/26 8:00 AM ET

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Illustration / Courtney Jones; Greg Nash; Chris Pizzello, Jose Luis Magana and Charles Krupa, Associated Press; and Ricky Carioti, The Washington Post via Getty Images

President Trump has every right to seek retribution against those who have undermined and attacked him — often using illegal means — for more than a decade. All the bogus charges, the over-the-top fines, the spying and targeting by Joe Biden’s Justice department and New York Attorney General Letitia James’s campaign promise to “get Trump.”

He deserves the chance to punch back.

But what critics call his “revenge tour” must be done judiciously, or it will do more harm than good.

Just this past week, the Justice Department and the president have zeroed in (one way or another) on James Comey, Jimmy Kimmel, David Morens and Somali scammers in Minneapolis. Some of these targets make sense, but others do not. Pursuing foolish vendettas (like prosecuting Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell) or lodging flimsy charges (against Letitia James, for example) takes away from the gravity of prosecuting those who deserve it most.

Former FBI Director James Comey is, in my view, a bad guy. I consider him a dishonest and self-serving actor who conspired to undermine a duly elected president.  He deserves punishment. But going after him for a social media post about seashells arranged in a purportedly nefarious manner is not smart. This prosecution will likely fail. Comey has denied he knew the meaning of the seashells’ “86 47” arrangement, which some interpreted as a call to assassinate Trump. How can anyone prove he knew?

If Comey skates, frustration on the right will mount. Too many opponents loathed by Republicans are walking free, despite misdeeds much worse. Some destroyed government communications (Hillary Clinton). Others evaded years of taxes (Hunter Biden). Almost certainly, Comey will dodge justice as well.

Attacking late-night host Kimmel is similarly pointless. Trump and his wife are demanding that ABC fire the deeply unfunny late-night comic. But this only increases his ratings among Trump-deranged viewers. Moreover, guaranteeing freedom of speech is a core American and conservative value. Kimmel’s comment about Melania as an “expectant widow” was tasteless and — in light of yet another attempt on Trump’s life — perhaps dangerous. But giving Kimmel the attention he wants accomplishes nothing. It only violates his right to make an ass of himself yet again.

On the other hand, going after David Morens, a former senior adviser to Dr. Anthony Fauci, is brilliant and well deserved.

After the outbreak of COVID, Morens allegedly conspired to protect funding for EcoHealth Alliance, an organization receiving federal grants that helped finance dangerous gain-of-function research at the infamous Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. Morens evidently communicated via private email with the head of EcoHealth, Dr. Peter Daszak, encouraging him to do the same — blatantly coaching him how to avoid FOIA inquiries. Morens was one of many actors in the COVID drama who apparently deceived the public about the cause of the pandemic, and his own possible role in its creation.

Many believe former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci lied to Congress about his agency giving grants to EcoHealth; he even received a preemptive “autopen” pardon from former President Joe Biden.

Trump has suggested those pardons not personally signed by Biden might be invalid. The statute of limitations on Fauci’s alleged misdeeds is near; we should know very soon whether he will also face charges.

The COVID outbreak killed millions of people around the globe. The Chinese have never been held accountable for this mass murder, or for the fact that they covered up the origin of COVID and withheld critical information about the virus for months, costing many lives. Also, members of our medical community who shut down debate about the causes of the disease and possible treatments have never been held accountable.

The attacks on doctors who challenged Fauci and other medical officials, and the dictatorial directives issued from the federal government about how to combat the virus, were among the worst acts in our country’s history. People died who might have been saved by a freer exchange of information.

Children also lost years of learning because Fauci and the teachers unions insisted, without medical proof, that schools be closed.

It is worthy and essential to bring