Matthew Miller: Trump has crossed a once-unthinkable red line

[highplainsdem]

Opinion piece in the Washington Post from the former director of the Justice Department’s public affairs office:


https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-has-crossed-a-once-unthinkable-red-line/2017/05/10/c63e2334-3599-11e7-b4ee-434b6d506b37_story.html

Let’s be clear: Comey made grave mistakes in his handling of the Clinton email investigation, and I have been as critical of him as anyone. The rules he violated are important to preserving the FBI’s credibility and protecting the rights of individuals under investigation. But one principle must take precedence over every other Justice Department rule or regulation: Prosecutors and agents must be free to make decisions without interference from the White House. Without that, everything else fails.

Trump has now trampled on that independence — with the willing support of the leaders of the department. Where we go from here is uncertain. To start, there can be no remaining question that an independent prosecutor must be appointed to lead the Russia investigation. The attorney general has already recused himself because of his role in the Trump campaign, and the deputy attorney general has now irretrievably stained his own integrity. Both should immediately appear before congressional committees to explain, under oath, their role in Comey’s firing, how the process began and what they discussed with the White House in pursuing it.

But beyond even the Russia investigation lie troubling concerns about the rule of law. The president just fired an official investigating his campaign and associates, crossing a red line once unthinkable in this country. The attorney general quiescently went along. The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said that critics should “suck it up and move on.” The Senate majority leader excused it all in a speech on the Senate floor.

The institutional checks necessary to constrain a president such as Trump are failing before our eyes. If we can no longer count on an independent Justice Department or legitimate oversight from Congress, we are left with one overarching question: Who will stand up to Donald Trump?

[katmondoo]

1. This does worry me. The checks and balances do not seem to be enough

If someone much smarter than Trump pulled off this coup and was able to really destroy our Democracy using methods far more insidious than those being used by Trump now we do not have the means to stop him. Congress must start thinking of how to prevent another takeover when all three branches of government is controlled by one party.

[Jeroen]

2. The People n/t

[dhill926]

3. K & R...

a must read...