On the eve of former President Donald Trump’s arraignment in federal court on charges related to the attempted overturning of the 2020 election, U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke told attendees of a Whitefish forum that the government cannot be trusted.

“In God we trust, right? So in government we don’t trust,” Zinke said during the meeting hosted by the America First Policy Institute, a think tank founded to promote Trump’s policies.

Zinke was joined by Chad Wolf, the former secretary of Homeland Security under Trump and the executive director of the American First Policy Institute, who acted as the discussion’s moderator. Matt Whitaker, former acting U.S. attorney general under Trump and the co-chair for the America First Policy Institute’s Center for Law and Justice, joined Zinke and Wolf on the stage.

The U.S. is straying from the Constitution, Zinke said. And Americans aren’t paying enough attention to what the government is doing, he said.

“Our government is untrustworthy and, well, we’re going to have to take it back,” Zinke said.

The trio launched into an in-depth discussion of what they described as a two-tiered system of justice at the federal level. Trump’s indictment on four felony counts related to his efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 election are a prime example, the three concluded.

“These are anecdotal examples of the two tiered system of justice. You know we don't have enough time tonight to go through all the other examples of how the powers are either used or not used depending on someone’s political party or, you know, the left’s belief that somebody is good or bad,” Whitaker said.

Trump, the frontrunner in the GOP primary race ahead of the 2024 presidential election, was arraigned in federal court in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, pleading not guilty to charges of conspiracy to defraud the U.S., conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.

The indictment by a grand jury, revealed earlier this week, marks the third criminal case brought against Trump since he left office. Prosecutors in New York have brought charges against the former president related to the alleged falsification of business records. He also faces multiple charges brought on by the U.S. Justice Department for allegedly mishandling classified documents after exiting office.

The three speakers argued that the investigations into the former president have been more intense than efforts to probe President Joe Biden’s conduct. Zinke warned the country has lost its sense of regular order. It is something that needs to be reinforced, he said.

“We need to start a culture war,” he said.

The 61-year-old Zinke said that when he was growing up, people largely trusted the government.

ASIDE FROM Trump’s legal troubles, the trio discussed the U.S. border with Mexico, the fentanyl crisis, human trafficking and the threat posed by China — and what they view as the Biden administration’s inability to deal with any of those challenges.

The trio criticized the Biden administration for failing to secure the border with Mexico, allowing undocumented migrants to flow into the country along with drugs and victims of human trafficking.

Biden has also failed to adequately deal with China and the Chinese Communist Party, Zinke said, highlighting the administration’s handling of an errant Chinese spy balloon that flew over Montana as it crossed the continent. A U.S. Air Force F-22 shot the balloon down over the waters off of South Carolina in February.

Zinke also raised concerns about the social media platform TikTok. Gov. Greg Gianforte signed a bill banning TikTok in the state earlier this year, though the move is being challenged in court. The ban is set to go into effect in January.

“There is no difference between a business and the Communist Party if they are both Chinese,” Zinke said.

Ultimately, the Biden administration needs better policies, Whitaker said while Zinke argued that the government needs more transparency and accountability.

“The greatness of the country has never been its government, it's never been its bureaucracy, it's never been its, you know, the president. The greatness of our country is the American people and I believe that in my soul,” Whitaker said.

The Aug. 2 event was hosted at Grouse Mountain Lodge.

Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.