Barack Obama: “He did it for political purposes. I don't know what was in the president's mind. He announced immediately that we got…”

The full weight of the federal government is being brought down on a law-abiding elected official because she has dared to criticize the president.

It is a basic principle of American democracy that the government can’t selectively target individuals simply because of their political beliefs or what they say.

And I will fight for that, even if I don’t always think it’s going to win.

People need to “rediscover what’s the story we tell about how we’re going to live together, and see each other, and recognise each other, and disagree, and yet, still care for each other”.