It is obvious that Trump sees his presidency and the DOJ as vehicles for punishing his opponents and rewarding his friends.
Share Share
Tweet Tweet
Forward Forward
FEBRUARY 20, 2020
A NOTE FROM FRED
 
House and Senate Republicans, joined by Attorney General William Barr, have paved the way for President Trump to exercise his vision of absolute Presidential power without accountability for his actions.
 
This is the approach we fought a revolution to end.
 
Republicans in Congress have told Trump it is perfectly fine to blackmail a foreign country to intervene in our elections to help his reelection campaign. They have also said it is perfectly fine for the President to stonewall and obstruct Congress.
 
Barr’s view of a unitary presidency, and also of a presidency superior in our Constitutional system to the Congressional and Judicial Branches, is now playing out with reckless abandon.
 
Trump declared himself this week to be the “nation’s chief law enforcement officer,” with no objection raised by Attorney General Barr, who is supposed to be the nation’s chief law enforcement officer. Trump has repeatedly pushed the Justice Department to indict political opponents and perceived enemies.
 
Trump threw pardons around this week like Mardi Gras beads. They were based not on the normal Justice Department process, but, according to The New York Times, “driven instead by friendship, fame, personal empathy, and a shared sense of persecution.”
 
One pardon went to Paul Pogue, after his family reportedly contributed more than $200,000 since last August to support Trump’s reelection campaign.
 
All signs point to future Trump pardons for his political cronies convicted of crimes, starting with convicted felon Roger Stone.
 
Trump also continued his practice this week of attacking judges, irresponsibly tweeting an attack on U.S. District Judge Amy Jackson Berman, who sentenced Stone to over three years in prison today.
 
It is obvious that Trump sees his presidency and the Justice Department as vehicles for punishing his opponents and rewarding his friends. This approach by Trump is the hallmark of dictators and authoritarians around the world.
 
The rule of law is embedded in our constitutional system of government. So is the concept that we are a nation of laws, not of men and women. Trump is directly challenging these core principles and they must be defended at all costs.
MUST READS

D21 NEWS
 
Trump’s $580,600 Per Couple Fundraiser Is The Direct Result Of McCutcheon v. FEC
“The ability of Trump to raise these astronomical amounts of influence money from billionaires and multimillionaires is a direct result of the Supreme Court’s utter failure to understand the nation’s campaign finance laws or the implications of its decision,” D21 President Fred Wertheimer writes, via Medium.
 
POST-IMPEACHMENT
 
Trump’s Quest To Rewrite History Of The Russia Probe
“As his reelection campaign intensifies, Trump is using the powers of his office to manipulate the facts and settle the score,” via The Washington Post.
 
Justice Dept Storm Intensifies With New Attacks On Barr’s Credibility
“The drama escalated Monday as a letter demanding Barr's resignation by a bipartisan group of former Justice officials gathered its 2,000th signature,” via CNN.
 
Federal Judges’ Assn Calls Emergency Meeting After DOJ Intervenes In Case Of Trump Ally Roger Stone, via USA Today.
 
Top Defense Official Latest To Be Ousted After Impeachment Saga
“Since his acquittal, the president has moved swiftly to purge administration officials whose presentation of events did not align with his own,” via The New York Times.
HEADLINE OF THE WEEK

Bill Barr Must Resign
 
-- opinion via The Atlantic.
TRUMP & FRIENDS
 
The First Days Of The Trump Regime
“[T]he Trump administration is not fighting a ‘deep state’; it is seeking to build one that will outlast him,” via The Atlantic.
 
AG Barr Moves To Take The Reins Of Politically Charged Cases
“Amid mounting furor over politicization at the Justice Department, the attorney general ordered reviews of such investigations and prosecutions,” via The New York Times.
 
Trump Takes Up Call For Barr To “Clean House” At DOJ, via The New York Times.
 
“A Story Of Creeping Authoritarianism”: The Trouble With Donald Trump’s Clemencies And Pardons, via The New Yorker.
 
Trump Names Staunch Loyalist Richard Grenell As Acting Intelligence Chief
“Grenell’s lack of intelligence-related experience is likely to unsettle the U.S. intelligence community. … [A] Trump adviser described Grenell as ‘out of his league’ for the acting DNI job, adding that some in the administration are ‘embarrassed by his behavior,’” via CNN.
 
Remember, Roger Stone Is Only One Of The Bad Apples In Trump’s Basket, via Los Angeles Times editorial board.
 
Let The Sunshine In
“In this climate of secrets, shaming, and reprisals, the Freedom of Information Act is more important than ever,” opinion from the Center For Public Integrity, via The Boston Globe.
MONEY MATTERS OF THE WEEK

Bloomberg’s Immense Spending Gets Him 30,000 Online Ads A Minute, And A Whole Lot More
 
257 DAYS …
 
“The Democrats Were Gloves-Off”: 6 Takeaways From Wednesday’s Debate, via National Public Radio.

It’s A Critical Moment In The Democratic Race. The Debate Made That Clear, opinion via The Washington Post.
 
Trump Has Now Shifted $1.9 Million From Campaign Donors To His Business, via Forbes.
 
Trump Drives Massive Turnout In Primaries Despite Token Opposition
“His campaign is fine-tuning its get-out-the-vote machine months ahead of the general election — a daunting challenge for Democrats,” via Politico.
 
Vulnerable GOP Senators Tie Fortunes To Trump, via Politico.
 
The Trump-Bloomberg Rivalry Is Getting Even More Expensive
“The Trump campaign is trying to raise an additional $1 billion to take on Bloomberg’s deep pockets, as the personal feud between the two wealthy New Yorkers continues to escalate,” via Vanity Fair.
 
Dem Super PAC Launches $10M Campaign Bashing Trump In 3 Key Swing States, via Politico.
 
With Bloomberg, Democrats Smash Against Their Own Anti-Big Money Firewall, via Center for Public Integrity.
 
How A Court Battle On Felon Voting Rights In Florida Could Affect The 2020 Election, via The Washington Post.
 
North Dakota Tribes Score Key Voting Rights Victory, via The New York Times.
 
Why The 2020 Election Will Be A Mess: It’s Just Too Easy For Putin
“Putin will continue to attack, namely because his objectives haven’t changed and the United States has not done anything to defend or deter him from this course of action. The only difference this time around is that, after four years of Trump, generating chaos will be even easier to achieve, as Trump and his surrogates have adopted the same playbook,” via Just Security.
 
Democrats Prepare To Spend Big To Take Control Of 2021 Redistricting, via OpenSecrets.
By: Fred Wertheimer, Diane Alexander, and Jackie Howell. Follow Fred and Democracy 21 on Twitter @FredWertheimer.
Subscribe Subscribe
Twitter Twitter
Facebook Facebook
Archives Archives
Copyright © 2020 Wertheimer's Political Report, All rights reserved.


A Democracy 21 Project