“John Doe” is not exactly a memorable name — indeed, it is often used for someone that can’t be identified in one context or another. But that name is something that Americans need to be aware of, especially as it applies to the state of Wisconsin, where it stands for an abuse of power that may have affected at least one state-wide election.

In 2015, our Arnold Ahlert reported on the “John Doe” investigations into conservative activists in the state of Wisconsin. While they were eventually shut down by the state supreme court, the abusers — including the district attorney in Milwaukee — got off scot-free. In essence, they got away with using a phony criminal investigation to punish political opponents.

Scott Walker would lose a bid for a third term by a very narrow margin in the 2018 election. We will never know for sure, but there is a chance that the lack of punishment, and the abuses that went on in the name of the “John Doe” law did suppress conservative activism and grassroots support for Walker just enough to swing that race.

That is not the only abuse of people who have exercised their first Amendment rights to oppose left-wing policy goals. New York has been very active on this front, with Andrew Cuomo targeting both the National Rifle Association and opponents of his environmental agenda. The abuses are so blatant that the ACLU sided with the National Rifle Association in its litigation (which is proving to be very expensive). Even if the internally fractured NRA should prevail, the fight is drawing funds away from legislative and political activities.

Again, look at close races like Walker’s in Wisconsin, the McSally-Sinema Senate race in Arizona, or a number of seats in the House of Representatives that went to the Democrats. Could an NRA not fighting abuses from the Andrew Cuomo-Letitia James regime have swung those elections the other way? It may never be known for sure, but we have our suspicions.

The scary thing is that more Democrats are adopting these tactics. Elizabeth Warren is promising to sic the IRS on the NRA. In essence, an army of Lois Lerners could be unleashed on Americans who dissent from her politics as early as Day One of a Warren presidency, and with the full approval of President Warren in the name of “accountability.”

But it won’t just be the NRA that gets targeted — just look at the actions of Representative Joaquin Castro, whose brother is running for president. He doxed Trump donors in his district.

Of course, imagine if the roles were reversed. If the governor of Texas was targeting Bloomberg’s gun-control groups, or if the state of Florida tried to pressure banks into dropping Planned Parenthood as a customer, do you think the media would be silent? There’s a better chance People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals will endorse veal farms.

Here’s how bad the bias is: A number of media outlets are giving Stacey Abrams, the loser of the 2018 gubernatorial election in Georgia, a platform to outline her agenda for “reform.” None have challenged her claims on air. The media also covered when Federal Election Commission Chairwoman Ellen Weintraub bashed President Donald Trump’s claims of voter fraud.

But Weintraub has been silent about the fact that for almost 10 months now, Abrams has made charges, without evidence, of voter suppression in the election she lost. The media has been silent about Weintraub’s double standard. As The Patriot Post team noted when discussing Robert Mueller and Spygate, America cannot survive double standards, much less the imposition of a two-tiered justice system.