An Unforgivable Betrayal of His Office

[babylonsister]

https://politicalwire.com/2020/07/10/an-unforgivable-betrayal-of-his-office/

An Unforgivable Betrayal of His Office
July 10, 2020 at 11:10 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard

The Washington Post editorial page:

“There are no doubt thousands of people in federal prison who deserved a presidential commutation more than Roger Stone. But after President Trump’s intervention on Friday, Mr. Stone will serve none of his prison sentence. The president may have had the power to help his longtime friend. But that does not make it any less a perversion of justice — indeed, it is one of the most nauseating instances of corrupt government favoritism the United States has ever seen.”

[dalton99a]

1. We're living in a mafia state

controlled by criminals

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Most of the rest:

Though Attorney General William P. Barr moved to reduce Mr. Stone’s sentencing recommendation after conviction, even he called the case against Mr. Stone a “righteous” prosecution. He was sentenced to 40 months in prison and was due to surrender on Tuesday — thus prompting Mr. Trump’s Friday night action.

As Mr. Trump discussed granting clemency to his criminal friend, Mr. Barr publicly defended the sentence, perhaps to prevent a mutiny among Justice Department staff who signed up because they believe in the rule of law, not the arbitrary rule of an unusually petty man in the White House.

Now, the department’s career investigators and prosecutors must absorb yet another insult to their profession from political leaders who abuse their trust. We can only sympathize with their impossible position. A Justice Department brain drain would only reduce fairness and competence in federal law enforcement. It would no doubt take years of rebuilding to reattract the talent that Mr. Trump’s rule has already repelled from the department, let alone to replace a late-term exodus of staff. Yet we can blame no one in the Justice Department for misgivings or feelings of complicity with a wayward presidency. We hope that the coming presidential election will soon offer them — and the nation that relies on them — relief.

The United States is supposed to be a place in which laws apply equally to all. And while it never has — and never will — live up to that ideal in full, no modern president before Mr. Trump has so clearly renounced it. The president seems to be doing his best, within the confines of the U.S. constitutional system, to emulate the gangster leadership of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a man whose ruinous reign Mr. Trump has always admired. If the country needed any more evidence, Friday confirmed that the greatest threat to the Republic is the president himself.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trumps-commutation-of-roger-stones-sentence-is-an-unforgivable-betrayal-of-his-office/2020/07/10/f5cac3a4-c309-11ea-b4f6-cb39cd8940fb_story.html

[babylonsister]

5. Thanks. Great editorial. I'm glad this was printed. nt

[onecaliberal]

3. Mitch McConnell needs to be followed 24/7 and asked about every last one of these crimes and why

He’s allowing it. Do not let him talk about anything else and do not give him peace of mind. This is fucking ridiculous.

[MontanaMama]

4. This.

[Beartracks]

6. This. Bigly.

[KPN]

7. Hound the bastard -- yes! The media needs to step up and help save the nation as opposed to

continuing to play as if they are being objective. They are not. At this point, given the blatant corruption and disregard for law exhibited by tRump and his gangsters, anything short of hounding each and every one of them 24/7 is an abrogation of the media's core purpose. Are they with the crooks or are they with the nation?