If Democrats were trying to calm fears that they plan to use government power to settle political scores, Susan Rice did them no favors this week.
Appearing on Preet Bharara’s “Stay Tuned with Preet” podcast in an episode titled “Democrats Done Playing Nice,” the former Obama National Security Advisor made it clear that when her party returns to power, there will be what she called an “accountability agenda.” And she did not exactly whisper it.
Rice warned that corporations, law firms, universities, media outlets, and big tech companies that have “take[n] a knee to Trump” should not expect a warm embrace from a future Democratic administration. “They’re going to be held accountable by those who come in opposition to Trump and win at the ballot box,” she said.
She doubled down. “If these corporations think that the Democrats, when they come back in power, are gonna play by the old rules and say, ‘oh, never mind, we’ll forgive you,’ I think they’ve got another thing coming.” That does not sound like reconciliation. That sounds like a promise.
Rice insisted Democrats would “play by the law,” adding, “we’re not going to violate the law the way they do, but we’re not going to be suckers.” She also suggested companies should be preserving documents and preparing for subpoenas “if they’ve done something wrong.” And just in case anyone thought this was routine political rhetoric, she made sure to add, “this is not going to be an instance of forgive and forget.”
When a former national security adviser openly talks about subpoenas, document preservation, and consequences for institutions that failed to resist President Trump, people are going to hear more than policy debate. They are going to hear warning sirens.
It is also worth noting the setting. Bharara, the former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, built a reputation as an aggressive prosecutor. He famously pursued conservative filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza over campaign finance violations following the release of the anti Obama film “2016: Obama’s America.” D’Souza later said his FBI file showed he was flagged as a “critic of Obama” and that significant resources were devoted to his case.
Rice’s remarks fit into a broader narrative that the federal government has, at times, been used to target political adversaries. Whether one agrees with that characterization or not, the perception alone is powerful.
Elections are supposed to be about persuading voters, not punishing dissenters. When prominent voices start talking about an “accountability agenda” aimed at those who failed to oppose President Trump aggressively enough, it raises uncomfortable questions about where political competition ends and institutional retaliation begins.
Democrats may believe they are signaling strength. But to millions of Americans, it sounds like a promise that if power changes hands, so will the list of targets. And that is not a recipe for national unity.
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