A couple of posts from Digby this morning, on Trump and "his" Justice Department. First, the attack on Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein:
In this context, it's worth remembering that the Justice Department is supposed to be a quasi-independent agency. Yes, the Attorney General is appointed by the president, but is not supposed to be partisan. To see how far the Republican Party under Trump has sunk, take note of this comment by former Speaker Newt Gingrich:
As Digby points out:
(This is from another post that gives some good backround on the erosion of our democratic norms since the Reagan years.)
And last but not least, another example of the White House's attempts to politicize the Justice Department:
That last bit just busted my irony meter all to hell.
This is what happens when we elect a wannabe dictator as president. And don't expect any pushback from Congress -- as Digby points out, they're a big part of the problem and they're not going to intefere.
Update: If you doubt Congressional Republicans' collusion in dismantling an autonomous Justice Department, there's this on the "secret memo" that they've been hyping:
And there's more:
All in the service of a permanent majority. We've seen how that works.
They are setting up the firing of Rosenstein as part of their "purge." They will probably get away with it. The question will be if the people they replace them with are Trump gangsters or honest citizens.
A secret, highly contentious Republican memo reveals that Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein approved an application to extend surveillance of a former Trump campaign associate shortly after taking office last spring, according to three people familiar with it.
The renewal shows that the Justice Department under President Trump saw reason to believe that the associate, Carter Page, was acting as a Russian agent. But the reference to Mr. Rosenstein’s actions in the memo — a much-disputed document that paints the investigation into Russian election meddling as tainted from the start — indicates that Republicans may be moving to seize on his role as they seek to undermine the inquiry.
The memo’s primary contention is that F.B.I. and Justice Department officials failed to adequately explain to an intelligence court judge in initially seeking a warrant for surveillance of Mr. Page that they were relying in part on research by an investigator, Christopher Steele, that had been financed by the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
Democrats who have read the document say Republicans have cherry-picked facts to create a misleading and dangerous narrative. But in their efforts to discredit the inquiry, Republicans could potentially use Mr. Rosenstein’s decision to approve the renewal to suggest that he failed to properly vet a highly sensitive application for a warrant to spy on Mr. Page, who served as a Trump foreign policy adviser until September 2016.
In this context, it's worth remembering that the Justice Department is supposed to be a quasi-independent agency. Yes, the Attorney General is appointed by the president, but is not supposed to be partisan. To see how far the Republican Party under Trump has sunk, take note of this comment by former Speaker Newt Gingrich:
Of course the president ought to be able to expect loyalty. He is the chosen president of the United States by the American people, and he is the chief executive. If they’re not loyal to him, who the hell are they supposed to be loyal to?
As Digby points out:
Every American used to know that the answer to that was "the Constitution and the rule of law."
(This is from another post that gives some good backround on the erosion of our democratic norms since the Reagan years.)
And last but not least, another example of the White House's attempts to politicize the Justice Department:
Trump met with Sessions and FBI Director Christopher Wray at the White House last Monday to discuss missing text messages sent between two FBI agents who had expressed anti-Trump views. One of the agents later left his investigation and Mueller removed the other after learning of the texts.(Emphasis added.)
Kelly held separate meetings or phone calls with senior Justice Department officials last Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to convey Trump’s displeasure and lecture them on the White House’s expectations, according to the people. Kelly has taken to ending such conversations with a disclaimer that the White House isn’t expecting officials to do anything illegal or unethical.
This is what happens when we elect a wannabe dictator as president. And don't expect any pushback from Congress -- as Digby points out, they're a big part of the problem and they're not going to intefere.
Update: If you doubt Congressional Republicans' collusion in dismantling an autonomous Justice Department, there's this on the "secret memo" that they've been hyping:
House Republicans on the Intelligence Committee Monday evening voted to release a secret memo containing classified information and details of a current and ongoing investigation while also voting to block the release of a Democratic response. The memo, penned by Chairman Devin Nunes, who supposedly had recused himself from Russia investigations, reportedly is a direct attack on the FBI, and current and former FBI and Justice Dept. officials.
And there's more:
Rep. Schiff "also revealed that the committee’s Republicans had formally opened an inquiry into the FBI and Justice Department—despite the panel having initially focused on Russia’s election interference and potential collusion with the Trump campaign," The Daily Beast's Spencer Ackerman adds. "Schiff said that work would continue and anticipated interviewing Steve Bannon, the former White House chief strategist, on Wednesday."
All in the service of a permanent majority. We've seen how that works.
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