Trump’s promise of payback for prosecution follows years of attacking democratic traditions

FILE - Former President Donald Trump speaks at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., June 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)FILE - Former President Donald Trump speaks at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., June 13, 2023. Trump’s attacks on the justice system are the latest step in a now eight-year campaign by the former president and his allies against the traditions and institutions that have helped maintain American democracy. Trump’s defenders — who include much of his own political party — don’t make that distinction, condemning all probes of the former president. The combination of the new federal charges, filed Friday, and the Republican presidential primary has led to stepped up complaints about scrutiny of the former president.