President Trump says that he is "surprised" that his Attorney General won't criminally investigate either the previous president, or his 2020 election opponent. Trump then adds: "I have no doubt that [Barr] may have another feeling."
None of this is compatible with rule of law.
None of this is compatible with rule of law.
Trump is firing Inspector Generals that investigate him or his political appointees; he is attacking and threatening any and all federal whistleblowers; and he has openly politicized DNI to serve his political interests.
All of this goes way beyond early-stage dictator moves.
All of this goes way beyond early-stage dictator moves.
We're about to have no independent Inspector Generals; no ability for any whistleblowers to come forward without risk of ruining their life; and a politicized intel service that makes no pretense of weaponizing DNI's access for the benefit of the President's reelection campaign.
All of this is happening with the overwhelming support of Republican lawmakers. And the only Republican "opposition" to President Trump's moves isn't opposition in any meaningful sense, it's really just subtweeting.
Trump is now defending Sec. Pompeo for having government employees run errands for him, says that Pompeo was "number one at West Point and number one at Harvard law," and he's busy, so Pompeo having federal employees walk his dog should be okay.
President Trump also dismisses the IG's investigation into whether Pompeo subverted Congress, by selling arms to Saudi Arabia; says that whatever Pompeo did is fine, because "when someone pays us a fortune for arms, we should get the deal done."
President Trump has reached the stage of lawlessness where he doesn't even need to hide the fact that he doesn't care about rule of law, or about Congress's powers, or about any Constitutional limitations on his own powers.
I'm trying to imagine something Trump could do right now that would result in any political consequences for him, but failing. As a practical matter, the only check on his power that we've seen lately is AG Barr's level of squeamishness over what he's been asked to do.
Look, I get it, the hydroxychloroquine shit is absolutely batshit. That is also an important story.
But Trump literally just admitted he fired State's Inspector General because the political appointee the IG was investigating asked him to do it. That's more important.
But Trump literally just admitted he fired State's Inspector General because the political appointee the IG was investigating asked him to do it. That's more important.
