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To the editor:
So the man who led cheers of “lock her up” (and those who cheered), now complain about politically motivated prosecutions. The difference, of course, is that no specific crimes were enumerated against Hillary Clinton in 2016 and a multitude of specific crimes are being set forth against Donald Trump today. Possible charges range from illegal business practices, soliciting election fraud and sedition.
Republicans have predictably come to Trump’s defense; that is the heart of the problem. Had GOP leaders stood up for the rule of law at the beginning of Trump’s presidency, we wouldn’t be where we are now. Republicans had many chances to reign in Trump — the firing of FBI Director James Comey stands out. Only months in office, Trump unilaterally decided that Comey must go following a private conversation in which Trump asked for loyalty, but was instead offered honesty by Comey. At the time, GOP senators agreed that Comey served at the pleasure of the president. I believe they should have said Trump enjoyed no such pleasure. In 2013, Comey was overwhelmingly confirmed (93-1) to a 10-year term.
The Senate Judiciary Committee set a single 10-year term for the FBI director in 1976 for two stated reasons 1) to insulate the director of the FBI from undue pressure being exerted upon him from superiors in the executive branch and 2) to protect against the director becoming too independent and unresponsive. GOP Senators should have enforced the first.
The next chance came when AG Bill Barr preempted the release of the Mueller Report and whitewashed the findings. While Mueller stated that Trump could not be cleared of obstruction of justice charges, implying that Congress should take up impeachment proceedings, GOP leaders made the media rounds echoing Barr’s false reading of the report.
By 2020, few GOP Senators had the courage to uphold impeachment charges against Trump, twice, because he was bullet-proof. So GOP leaders are now required to defend Trump with most saying the charges are unprecedented. However, what is truly unprecedented is that a man as dishonest and self-dealing as Trump was ever president in the first place.
Joseph Cannisi
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