Ex-prosecutors and historians warn that Republicans’ parroting of ex-president’s wild allegations of political bias could erode trust and lead to violence

Donald Trump is posing new threats to prosecutors, judges and the rule of law in the US by ratcheting up vitriolic attacks on the American legal system, which many Republican allies and far-right media are loudly echoing, ex-prosecutors and historians said.

Fears are growing that Trump’s conspiratorial screeds on his Truth Social site and interviews on rightwing media falsely charging that his conviction in the New York hush-money case was “rigged” and a “scam”, are eroding trust in the US justice system and could precipitate violence, pre- or post-election.

Ominously, Trump’s blistering attacks on the verdict have been quickly amplified by a large swath of his Republican allies in Congress including the House speaker, Mike Johnson, and Maga media stars, many of whom have recycled Trump’s false claims that the trial was politically driven by Democrats, and are mimicking Trump about seeking retribution.