A double standard occurs whenever a set of moral principles applies to one group of people, but not to another. Today it is easy to find examples of how conservative Republicans are held to higher standards than liberal Democrats. So, today I thought I would document for you some recent examples of these kinds of double standards all of which occurred in the news last week.

In March a California jury convicted Nebraska Congressman, Jeff Fortenberry, of lying to federal agents and concealing the source of $30,000 in foreign campaign contributions. It is illegal for a U.S. politician to accept foreign money to his or her political campaign. As a result, Fortenberry resigned from office and is now pleading for leniency from the court because he has no more money.

Here’s the double standard. In 2017 a Florida jury found Florida Congresswoman, Corinne Brown, guilty of 22 charges of mail fraud, wire fraud, and tax fraud. Brown and her associates had used a charity called “One Door for Education” to funnel $800,000 to themselves between 2012 to 2016. She stole money that was intended to be used for children’s scholarships. Nevertheless, last Thursday Corinne Brown announced her candidacy for Florida’s 10th Congressional District.

Here’s another example. Ever since the leaked decision surfaced, indicating that the U.S. Supreme Court intends to reverse Roe v. Wade, protesters have marched in front of the home of justice Brett Cavanaugh. So, last week twelve Republican U.S. Senators sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General, Merrick Garland, a Democrat, demanding to know why the U.S. Department of Justice has been refusing to enforce Title 18, Section 1507 of the U.S. Code, which criminalizes the “parading or picketing in front of the homes of judges with the intent to influence pending litigation.”

Here’s the double standard. When U.S. Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer, who is a Democrat, was asked on May 10th if he was comfortable with protesters demonstrating in front of the homes of the U.S. Supreme Court justices, he responded by saying, “If protests are peaceful, yes.” But, on February 1, 2017 New York Police erected a barrier and stood behind it in order to protect Schumer’s Brooklyn apartment. Protesters had gathered in front of Schumer’s home in order to pressure him to oppose then President Donald Trump’s cabinet picks. So, why does Chuck Schumer get police protection around his home but justice Brett Cavanaugh, whose life has already been threatened, gets denied such protection? That’s a double standard.

Here’s a third and final example from last week’s news. Last Thursday the January 6 Committee held another hearing designed to convince the public that former President Donald Trump orchestrated a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results. One of the president’s legal advisors, John Eastman, had advised Trump to use the “inartful” wording of the 12th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to convince Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election. Pence disagreed and refused to comply.

Here’s the double standard. The same argument that John Eastman had used to advise Donald Trump was the same argument that Congressman, Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland, had used to try to block election results in 2000, 2004, and 2016. Congressman Jamie Raskin is also a member of the January 6 Committee! So, why was it ok for Congressman Raskin to use the 12th Amendment argument to try to block Donald Trump from becoming president in 2016, but it was not ok for Donald Trump to use that same argument to try to block the election results in 2020? That’s called a double standard and it’s not right.