Bigfoot Politics: Scheindlin Warns of GOP “Deter and Depress” Strategy Following SCOTUS Defeat

Former U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin issued a stark warning on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, suggesting that the Republican Party is entering a phase of “desperation” following a major legal setback at the Supreme Court. Speaking with Katy Tur on MS NOW, Scheindlin characterized recent efforts to place armed federal agents at polling places as a psychological tactic designed to suppress the vote before the upcoming midterms.

The judge’s comments come as the “redistricting war” between California and Texas reaches its final legal chapter, leaving Republicans facing the loss of several key House seats.

“Armed Agents” and the Fear Factor

Scheindlin argued that the Trump administration’s push to deploy armed ICE agents to patrol polling stations is less about security and more about deterrence.

• The Psychological Impact: “If you instill fear in the voters… they just might not go to the polls,” Scheindlin stated. She described the move as a reaction to the GOP’s fear that they cannot win a high-turnout election.
• The Bannon Factor: The interview followed recent comments by Steve Bannon, who stated on his War Room podcast that the federal government plans to have ICE “surround the polls” in November to prevent what he claimed—without evidence—would be an attempt to “steal the country again.”

“Bigfoot Era”: Mike Johnson’s “Magical” Ballots

The discussion also addressed House Speaker Mike Johnson’s recent claims regarding the 2024 election cycle in California. Johnson suggested that Republican leads “magically whittled away” as late mail-in ballots were counted.

“It just looks on its face to be fraudulent. Can I prove that? No, because it happened so far upstream.” — Speaker Mike Johnson, Feb 3, 2026.

Katy Tur labeled this the “Bigfoot Era of American politics,” where claims are treated as true simply because someone wants to believe them. Tur noted the danger in leaders promoting conspiracies—ranging from election fraud to “9/11-was-an-inside-job” logic—simply because they “can’t accept a reality” where their party loses.

The SCOTUS Ruling: A “Desperate” Shift

According to Scheindlin, the rhetoric from the GOP is expected to intensify following Wednesday’s Supreme Court ruling, which allowed California to keep its new congressional map.

Scheindlin noted that because the Supreme Court refused to block California’s “tit-for-tat” gerrymander, Republicans are now “even more worried” about maintaining their narrow House majority. She predicted that the party will ramp up efforts to nationalize or undermine election administration as the primary season begins.