George Conway, husband of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway
Kellyanne Elizabeth ConwayConway's husband: 'Banana republic' if Trump got his wish to go after investigators Dems call for criminal probe into Kushner's security clearance Conway's husband: 'Grounds for impeachment' if Trump directed Cohn to block AT&T-Time Warner merger MORE, warned Friday that the U.S. would be a "banana republic" if President Trump
Donald John TrumpSanders pledges to support Democratic nominee in 2020 CNN's Zucker: Fox News is a 'propaganda outlet' Warren struggles to gain traction amid Sanders surge MORE's threats against members of the Justice Department went fulfilled.
In an address at Georgetown Law School, Conway, who is an attorney, warned that Trump's statements suggesting that top current and former Justice Department officials should be jailed for their role in the special counsel investigation were anti-democratic.
"The president has suggested that members of his own Justice Department should be locked up for investigating the president," Conway told an audience Friday.
"Now, if people were to get indicted or not indicted on the basis of whether or not the president likes them, we wouldn't have a republic," he added. "We'd have a banana republic."
The New York Times reported in November that Trump wanted to order the DOJ to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey
James Brien ComeyConway's husband: 'Banana republic' if Trump got his wish to go after investigators It's not about collusion; it's about obstruction ... and impeachment Breadth of Trump probe poses challenge for Dems MORE as well as his 2016 rival Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonSanders pledges to support Democratic nominee in 2020 Biden holds slim lead over Sanders in Iowa: poll Blame Congress for Washington's regulatory mess MORE. It was unclear what charges Trump reportedly wanted to pursue at the time.
The president has frequently attacked Comey, who he accused of leaking memos detailing their conversations to the press.
Trump also shared an image on social media last year of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein
Rod Jay RosensteinConway's husband: 'Banana republic' if Trump got his wish to go after investigators Top Republican releases full transcript of Bruce Ohr interview Trump to nominate federal prosecutor for No. 3 DOJ role MORE and other law enforcement officials and Democratic figures behind bars. The president told The New York Post at the time that Rosenstein "never should have" authorized the appointment of a special counsel to investigate his campaign.
Conway emerged as a vocal critic of the president last year despite his wife's position at the White House, and has frequently battled Trump on Twitter and in op-eds.
Earlier this year, Conway suggested that reporters should assume the president to be speaking falsely under most circumstances, stating that nothing Trump said could be taken at "face value."
The attorney also warned earlier in the week that Trump could face impeachment if reports of his involvement in pressuring the Justice Department to block a merger of Time Warner and AT&T proved to be true.
Updated: 3:12 p.m.
