The indictment of former President Donald Trump burst onto the scene Thursday like a naked man streaking through an NFL game. There was no warning, with even those supposedly in the know (including Trump’s own lawyers who recently told him the prosecution had collapsed) that the grand jury was getting ready to vote. On the contrary, recent reports made it seem as if Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s pursuit had faltered at best.

That was not to be, though, and Trump is now awaiting processing on a timed-out misdemeanor elevated to a felony based on a never-before-tested legal theory. Yet, despite the obvious issues with the case, Democrats rushed to spike the football. Nancy Pelosi was one of those people.

The Grand Jury has acted upon the facts and the law.

No one is above the law, and everyone has the right to a trial to prove innocence.

Hopefully, the former President will peacefully respect the system, which grants him that right.

— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) March 31, 2023

It’s hard to fathom a more legally illiterate response than that. This is a woman who was once the third most powerful politician in the country (and likely still is behind the scenes). Yet, she apparently believes that defendants in criminal cases have to “prove innocence.”

That’s not how it works. Rather, it is up to the state to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that someone is guilty. There is no presumption of guilt in our system that must be disproven, or at least there isn’t supposed to be. Pelosi might be having a bit of a Freudian slip there, assuming that a Manhattan jury will give no quarter to a president almost all of them no doubt voted against.

Even Pelosi’s last line is pretty nuts. The system doesn’t grant rights. Rights are inherent and enshrined constitutionally to protect individuals from government tyranny. The system itself is not a god to be bowed before and “respected.” It’s a necessary evil to create a societal framework where people’s rights are protected.

Because new Twitter is pretty great, Pelosi found herself absolutely wrecked by the Community Notes fact-checkers, which amended her post with this.

Twitter from the top rope pic.twitter.com/5esXrEMclZ

— Brandon Morse (@TheBrandonMorse) March 31, 2023

The viewpoints of Democrats, including some of the most powerful in the country, should worry you. There seems to be no constitutional center at all. Everything is built around maintaining power. If that means turning the justice system on its head, they’ll do it. If it means denying basic rights to people, they’ll do it.

That’s a dangerous place to be. I know some are joking about the Trump indictment (including people like Kari Lake), insinuating that the former president is glad it happened. Their idea is that this will help him win the White House by creating a backlash. But don’t underestimate the Democratic Party and its allies in the legal system. They’ve already thought this through, and their plan isn’t meant to hold the fabric of the nation together. Quite the contrary.