One of the major undercurrents of Republican politics in 2025 is a deep-seated desire to arrest, prosecute, and lock up perceived enemies, including many and perhaps most Democrats. It’s sometimes explained as retribution for the alleged weaponization of law enforcement against poor, innocent Donald Trump during his four years in the wilderness (partially protected, thank God, by the U.S. Supreme Court and, of course, by God himself ). It’s probably the bedrock reason for the MAGA obsession with the Epstein files , long thought to hold evidence of vast criminal activity by leading Democrats who will only face righteous judgment (and prison!) if the secrets are dug up and exposed.

But right now, the lust for incarceration is most evident in Texas. Republicans are enraged by Texas D

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