Of all the excesses of the four-year Trump interregnum that was the Biden-Harris administration, none was worse than the left’s use of our legal system to exact political retribution and “send a message” to those who dared oppose progressive extremism. It had all the markings of totalitarian behavior, but now it’s going down in flames.

The idea of America as a nation ruled by laws, not by the biases and whims of political powers, has been central to our country’s identity and stability since its very founding. It’s what makes our country unique in the world.

But after Biden’s 2020 election win, Democrats repeatedly used spurious and at times fraudulent readings of our laws to get revenge on Donald Trump and those who had the temerity to publicly support him.

They first went after those who demonstrated at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Many of them still imprisoned and suffering under false charges of “insurrection.” More than 1,530 were charged with crimes and about 615 have served, or are still serving, lengthy prison terms, basically for staging a rowdy protest in front of Congress over the 2020 presidential election.

Meanwhile, those who rioted during the long, hot summer of 2020, leading to at least 28 deaths and more than $2 billion in property and other damage, went virtually uncharged for their violent crimes. Why? It was for a cause, the death of drug addict George Floyd at the hands of the police. It turned out, his death was not caused by the police. To the left, it didn’t matter. It still doesn’t.

They then went after Trump’s political allies and advisers, such as Steve Bannon. He was released from prison at the end of October after serving four months for “contempt of Congress” charges for refusing to comply with a subpoena to testify.

Looking for bigger game, emboldened progressive prosecutors went after Trump, hitting him with 116 felony charges in four separate cases brought by federal prosecutors under Attorney General Merrick Garland and lefty blue-state legal authorities.

The threatening political message sent from those on the left was plain: if you dare oppose us, you are an enemy of the people, and you will be jailed or imprisoned. No mercy.

How things have changed after Trump’s win Tuesday.

While on the stump, Trump vowed to pardon some of the Jan. 6 demonstrators, ending four years of legal torment for many innocent people. Given Trump’s sweeping mandate, it’s likely to be one of his first acts as the 47th president of the U.S.

Meanwhile, Trump himself appears to be emerging from the lawfare threat.

Former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy told “Fox and Friends” that a “clemency package” was emerging under which federal prosecutors would drop their charges against Trump, clearing the way for President Joe Biden – yes, he’s still president – to pardon his own son Hunter for his use of his father’s influence to make millions of dollars from overseas governments.

As part of that deal, “Special Counsel” Jack Smith, who brought the federal cases against Trump, will leave and unwind the cases against Trump. Garland, of course, will depart with Biden.

“Trump’s stunning and historic victory Tuesday night was, at least in part, a rebuke of this obscene and fascist lawfare persecution,” wrote novelist and conservative political commentator John Nolte on the Breitbart website. “This sort of arrangement would get Joe Biden off the hook of pardoning his own son and allow our next president to fulfill his mandate with a clean slate.”

And now New York Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over a Trump trial earlier this year, has imposed a Nov. 12 deadline for deciding whether he will erase Trump’s conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records for allegedly paying “hush money” to adult film performer Stormy Daniels.

On Nov. 26, Trump is scheduled to appear for sentencing in the case, but CNN reports that Merchan is considering whether to erase Trump’s conviction, based on a U.S. Supreme Court decision last summer that gave presidents further immunity from prosecution.

So Trump may well walk into the Oval Office again without any prison time from politically inspired prosecutions hanging over his head.

It’s not ideal to do things this way, we know. Both Garland and Smith have dirtied their names and offices by politicizing the law. Now they will skulk away, without censure, impeachment, or any other well-deserved punishment for their politically motivated misconduct of recent years.

But if such a bargain will drive a stake through the heart of the left’s politicized lawfare assault on those who disagree with their totalitarian vision for America, so be it.

Trump will have his hands full when he enters office. Americans voted for him in the hope that he would shrink inflation, shut down illegal immigration, restore private-sector job growth, keep us out of World War III, end the “Net-Zero” threat to our economy, reform and shrink our bloated bureaucracy and the “Deep State,” cut wasteful spending, and restore our “woke” weakened Defense Department to its former strength.

Trump won the election fair and square. It’s time to end the Democrats’ Stalinesque lawfare attacks undermining the rule of law, and instead start making America great. Again.

— Written by the I&I Editorial Board