多年来，民主党人——尤其是“主流”（左翼）记者——一直假装特朗普总统在迫害新闻界。在民主党执政的明尼苏达州亨内平县检察官玛丽·莫里亚蒂刚刚对两名保守派记者卡姆·希比和詹姆斯·奥基夫提出虚假且令人震惊的重罪指控，仅因他们胆敢揭露明尼苏达州选民安保协议极其松懈，民主党人目前的沉默令人震耳欲聋。换句话说，莫里亚蒂非法指控两名记者履行职责。
For years, Democrats—especially"mainstream" (left-wing) reporters—have pretended President Trump persecutes the press. Their current silence is deafening after Democrat Hennepin County, Minn. Attorney Mary Moriarty just brought bogus and stunning felony charges against two conservative journalists Cam Higby and James O'Keefe for having the audacity to expose Minnesota's woefully lax voter security protocols. In other words, Moriarty illegally charged two reporters for doing their jobs.
莫里亚蒂因记者报道非犯罪行为而对其提出非法重罪指控，已逾越明显红线，特朗普司法部必须立即并公开依据《美国法典》第18编第241条和第242条，对莫里亚蒂及其他人涉嫌共谋侵犯及侵犯希比和奥基夫的第一修正案宪法权利提起民权刑事诉讼。如果证据确凿，这似乎显而易见，莫里亚蒂必须立即面临联邦指控。任何低于此标准的做法，都是对美国自由新闻界面临极其危险的公开狩猎季视而不见。
Moriarty’s illegal felony charges against disfavored reporters for non-crimes crossed a glaring red line, and the Trump Justice Department must immediately and publicly open a civil rights criminal case against Moriarty and others for conspiring to violate and violating Higby and O’Keefe’s First Amendment constitutional rights, under 18 U.S.C. §§ 241 and 242. If the evidence is there, which it seems obvious, Moriarty must face federal charges immediately. Anything short of this turns a blind eye to an extraordinarily dangerous open season on America’s free press.
从基本算术角度看，每一张非法选票都会剥夺一名合法选民的投票权。选举诚信要求公众对制度安全性抱有信心。蒂娜·彼得斯因揭露科罗拉多州严重选举缺陷而面临近十年监禁，直到民主党籍州长贾里德·波利斯勇敢地将其减刑。效仿彼得斯，希比和奥基夫着手测试明尼苏达州投票系统的弱点。希比身着罩袍，冒充一名登记选民。他还为一名同伴担保，称对方也已登记。他拍摄了与投票站工作人员的交谈过程，向其在线受众展示该系统究竟有多脆弱。
Every illegal vote, as a matter of basic arithmetic, disenfranchises a legal voter. Election integrity requires public confidence in the system's security. Tina Peters faced nearly a decade in prison for revealing serious election flaws in Colorado until Democrat Gov. Jared Polis courageously commuted her sentence. Following Peters' lead, Higby and O'Keefe set out to test Minnesota's voting system for weaknesses. Higby wore a burqa and posed as a registered voter. He also vouched for a companion he said was registered as well. He filmed the exchange with poll workers to show his online audience just how vulnerable the system really is.
视频显示，希比从未需要出示带照片的身份证件。仅凭他的话，其同伴便获准通过，对方同样未出示身份证件。必须澄清的是，两人均未实际投票。此次测试仅旨在演示，而希比确实演示了，在明尼苏达州操纵选举是多么容易。
The video shows that Higby never had to present photo identification. His word alone cleared his companion, who also produced no ID. To be clear, neither cast a ballot. The exercise simply aimed to demonstrate, as Higby certainly did, how easily someone can manipulate Minnesota's elections.
该州共和党人米歇尔·塔福亚与极左翼民主党人佩吉·弗兰纳根之间的美国参议院席位之争正日趋激烈。利害关系重大：这场竞选可能决定参议院的控制权。只有合法选民才应投票，而法律将联邦选举限定为美国公民参与。
The state's U.S. Senate race between Republican Michele Tafoya and far-left Democrat Peggy Flanagan is tightening. The stakes are high: The race could decide control of the Senate chamber. Only lawful voters should cast ballots, and the law limits federal elections to American citizens.
希格比和奥基夫所做的正是典型的调查性新闻报道，而非选民欺诈。《第一修正案》保障新闻自由，正是为了保护这类工作。如果检察官能以重罪指控惩罚暗访新闻工作，第四等级的监督将大幅削弱。每当当权者不喜欢某篇报道——例如揭露投票保障措施不安全的报道——对起诉和监禁的恐惧就会让潜在的调查者望而却步。
What Higby and O'Keefe did was vintage investigative journalism, not voter fraud. The First Amendment guarantees a free press to protect this precise kind of work. If prosecutors can punish undercover journalism with felony charges, oversight by the Fourth Estate will dramatically diminish. Fear of prosecution and prison will chill would-be investigators whenever the powers-that-be dislike a story, such as one revealing insecure ballot safeguards.
但莫里亚蒂——一位民主党法律战斗士——对此毫不在意。她只在乎从民主党高层那里获得赞誉——以及权力——不惜一切代价，包括把记者送进监狱。
But Moriarty, a Democrat lawfare crusader, does not care about any of this. She only cares about getting plaudits from top Democrat brass—and power—at any and all costs, including imprisoning reporters.
莫里亚蒂选择性地适用法律。“美国转折点”活动人士萨凡纳·埃尔南德斯的案件就是明证。三名滋事者在众多目击者面前袭击了埃尔南德斯，摄像头也拍下了袭击过程。莫里亚蒂仅以轻罪起诉——不过是轻拍一下手腕。幸运的是，联邦检察官介入，对三名涉嫌袭击者提起了重罪指控。然而莫里亚蒂现在却寻求以重罪定罪希格比和奥基夫，尽管他们并未袭击任何人，既未非法投票，也根本没有试图投票。
Moriarty applies the law selectively. The case of Turning Point USA activist Savannah Hernandez proves it. Three agitators assaulted Hernandez in front of numerous witnesses, and cameras captured the attack. Moriarty pursued only misdemeanor charges—a slap on the hand. Fortunately, federal prosecutors stepped in and filed felony charges against the three alleged attackers. Yet Moriarty now seeks to convict Higby and O'Keefe of serious crimes, though they attacked no one and neither voted illegally nor actually attempted to vote in the first place.
莫里亚蒂的法律战需要联邦层面的回应。联邦法律，特别是《美国法典》第18编第242条，规定以法律名义故意剥夺任何人的宪法权利属于犯罪。而《美国法典》第18编第241条则规定，共谋实施上述行为同样属于犯罪。莫里亚蒂本应追究选举舞弊者和制造数十亿美元虚假医疗补助索赔者的责任。相反，她却因两名记者履行职责——向公众展示明尼苏达州选举保护措施多么糟糕——而对他们穷追猛打。
Moriarty's lawfare demands a federal response. Federal law, specifically 18 U.S.C. § 242, makes it a crime to willfully deprive anyone of constitutional rights under color of law. And 18 U.S.C. § 241 makes it a crime to conspire with others to do the same. Moriarty should go after fraudsters at the ballot box and those behind billions in bogus claims against Medicaid. Instead, she is hounding two journalists for doing their jobs: showing the public how dismal Minnesota's election protections are.
希格比和奥基夫不应面临刑事指控。但莫里亚蒂及其共谋者必须被起诉。起诉他们将向全美索罗斯支持的及其他左派地方检察官发出强有力的信号：法律战将招致严重的法律后果。检察官必须恪守最高标准。毕竟，正如左派在反特朗普法律战岁月里反复强调的那样，法律面前人人平等。
Higby and O'Keefe should not face criminal charges. But Moriarty and her co-conspirators must. Indicting them would send a resounding message to Soros-backed and other leftist district attorneys across the nation: Lawfare will carry dire legal consequences. Prosecutors must meet the highest standards. After all, as the left intoned during the anti-Trump lawfare years, no one is above the law.