What always brings down even the most powerful and lucky people? Hubris. Eventually, they make one too many self-involved, big public reaches...and are exposed, or we simply tire of them. Bush was riding high, in a very powerful position, then he thought he’d invade the Middle East.
2
I agree with Bill Clinton's answer to the question posed: Should I resign the Presidency over consensual sex act and making up a reasonable story to prevent embarrassing my wife?
Trump's idea of being POTUS is far different and dangerous.
It is a disgrace and an embarrassment that so many in Congress and around him continue to sit quietly on the sidelines or are willing to support this egomaniac we must call our President. You would think that impeachment proceedings would have been immediately initiated after the latest tweets claiming he is above the law. Sadly, the longer we wait to boot him out the lower our standing and reputation around the world. Wanna be King Trump not only should be impeached but deported to a deserted island where he can be above himself and never allowed to return to the United States of America or its territories. Good riddance!!
4
This whole regime is just disgusting. It’s an embarrassment to our country. Sadly, this is how dictators are enabled and it’s seems no matter what we are blinded by brash statements and false “facts”.
3
It's Nixon all over again!
1
In a democracy not even the President is above the law! Only a dictator is above the law! The President of USA is not above the law, the President of USA can not pardon himself!
Trump clearly thinks he have the same power as a fascist... dictator, and the risk is that he thinks he have the power to stay as President of USA for the rest of his life if he chose to use his, imaginary, Presidential power to cancel the next Presidential election!
1
The kind of president of the United States I grew up imagining is one who would say, publicly, unequivocally; 1) if Russia or any other other country has interfered in our election let’s get to the bottom of it; 2) if anyone in my administration or campaign has lied to the FBI or the justice, let’s get to the bottom of it; 3) if border officials are taking children from their parents I order it stopped immediately.
That the president of the United States, in front of world, fails to stand for national security, for the law and for human decency and instead would overturn all law and constitutional and social norms to save his own hide is beyond words. This is not just "unprecedented." It it is unAmerican.
2
Executive Power doesn't get a whole lot more powerful than the ability to pardon yourself.
Once you have that ability, then who would ever go to the trouble of investigating you? Or even filing a complaint against you? Or protesting your policies? Or even criticizing you in the press?
Who would dare...?
1
The very fact that a president would relase a letter purporting to explain that he cannot obstruct justice, and follow that two days later with a comment that he has an "absolute right" to pardon himself says all we need to know about the threat that Trump poses to our democracy. This year's election is the most important of our lives. If we do not use our power as citizens to stop this, we may not have another chance.
3
I said when Trump was elected that he would be a test of American checks and balances. Sadly, I'm proved right and just right now, they don't seem to be working that well.
2
These legal opinions are those of attorneys attempting to build defenses for a client, not to present sound arguments for interpretations of the Constitution. Taken to their logical conclusions these assertions would amount to the President's authority to nullify any laws enacted by Congress according to the Constitution as well as any laws from the decisions of Courts. The President becomes the government and without any legal constraints. In other words, they produce absurd outcomes, which proves that they are not logical arguments.
1
its sad to see a paper that ONCE WAS objective go to ruin.
What if, maybe, could be, might happen. I am still under my desk because you said nuclear war was impending.
Tariffs were going to kill our economy. Impeachment due, ect ect yada yada. Meanwhile..."As of June 5, 2018, the United States Senate has confirmed 41 Article III judges nominated by President Trump, including 1 Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, 21 judges for the United States Courts of Appeals, 19 judges for the United States District Courts" Lifelong Conservative Judicial appointments. Now THIS IS something Trump has done. Not conjecture but reality.
1
Do REPUBLICans really want a king? And a tyrant at that?
1
I thought the Republicans were opposed to the expansion of presidential power and wanted a smaller federal government. I guess that is only when a Democrat is in office? Instead of the Grand Old Party, I think the name should be The Grand Old Hypocrisy
3
Executive power as Trump sees it is nothing more than another word for dictatorship.
3
Am I missing something? For all the comparisons to a rogues gallery of dictators in these comments, has there been a coup d'etat? Are there tanks in the streets? Has Trump arrested his opponents? Shut down the free press? Cancelled elections? Declared a state of emergency? On the contrary, it is as clear as ever that our democracy is flourishing. This will become even clearer if he challenges a subpoena and is brought to his knees by the Supreme Court.
The steps towards dismantling democracy are what we see
Our fight begins before the steps become facts
1
The GOP is sure to change its tune when a Democrat is elected. No surprise.
2
I said from the start that the GOP is the party of treason ... and the beat goes on.
2
We have a seriously delusional president.
6
Read Julius Caesar Trump- You're no Caesar Trump- you cowarded out of the military- watch your next step Trump, the White House can be made into a prison, You're not a real man like Caesar or Brutus
3
Louis XVI could not pardon himself... chop
2
The only thing I want to see is this grifter family and republicans in jail for destroying our country, these people use the Constitution for TP every day.
3
He claims to be "the" deal maker, an entrepreneur, etc. Well, what about his failures, airlines, universities, bankruptcies. Now he claims absolute power. I would love to see his tax returns and grades. I'm guessing if he did, his loyal 40% would realize the emperor has no clothes.. visualize that if you dare.
2
The President has done nothing wrong. Don't rely on Trump Sarah Sanders proclaimed him innocent several times in one press conference. Putting that aside for the moment. For more than a year the labels hoax and witch hunt flood the tweetoshpere and Fox News. Loosley defined a hoax has no basis in fact. A witch hunt is an investigation of a hoax baseless without any merit. Rosenstein assigned Mueller to pursue this worthless exercise to diminish the Trump Presidency. The truth of this hypocrisy resides with the President.
A truth he is unwilling to share. Trump and his advisors believe Mueller is part of the deep state; that he spends most of time devising perjury traps for the President. For an innocent man, a stable genius answering questions about a hoax ought to be perjury proof. Both innocent and endowed with the truth, why worry?
In real world things are not as complicated as Trump's lawyers and Rudy make them. If they refuse to allow the Mueller interview they have no intention of complying with a subpoena to allow his testimony before a grand jury with his lawyers absent. They are planning a legal challenge to the subpoena. If they lose on the issue Trump will be forced to testify before a grand jury sans his lawyers. At that point his legal team faces the same issue: do we allow Donald to testify? Fighting it through courts suggest the answer is no. Rather than asserting the fifth Trump pardons himself. Isn't that why Rudy is in the news?
Where are these "rights" which he claims, held or written? You cannot both use the US Constitution as your defense and state that it does not apply to you.
This is exactly why inexperienced, reality-television, wealth-inherited billionaires ought stay out of elected office. Especially THAT elected office.
1
Make no mistake, it isn't "vast" executive power Trump is interested in, it's "absolute" power.
2
I said the GOP was dead after the re-election of Barack Obama in 2012. Little did I know just how dead they were. Trump is not to blame for the mess we're in, but a Republican Party devoid of a heart, soul, or common decency. They could put an end to this if they had any morals or brains, but their corruption and hatred have caught up to them, and we all see them for who they are. Can't say that I'm surprised. Nixon and Reagan planted the seeds, now the GOP is bearing the fruit -- bad fruit, indeed. Dead fruit.
1
Mental illness is always a sad thing to behold when, say, I'm walking down the street and encounter a poor, suffering soul. My heart goes out to such a person at that time. Trump's level of mental illness is, yes, still a sad thing when I consider the lack of sleep he's suffering from......not to mention the dreams he must have to endure. He really does seem to be crying from the inside....and yes, that's pitiable. However, it's not so easy for me to step back and remember the psychological facts of his disease. Not these days......
1
The limited authority of the President and the Congress is related to the office holders being representatives of the people rather than having authority over the people. In Enlightenment philosophy, elected officials represent the governed and act for the sovereign which is the people as participants in the social contract from which governments derive the authority to govern.
Presidential powers are strictly in regards to their responsibilities of acting for the people. These responsibilities are only generally defined and not specifically enumerated and to balance the powers of the Congress are intended to limit how the Congress may challenge the authority exercised by the President. The power of the pardon and immunity from prosecution are not absolute, they are limited to providing Equity legal purposes and to keep Congress from preventing a President from acting in the interests of the people in defiance of the will of those controlling the Congress.
If a sitting President violates the Criminal code with high crimes and misdemeanors, that President would not be immune from prosecution. Such acts are per se committed against the people as a whole and so the President could not claim any official immunity. A President who commits murder or rape or theft for personal reasons would enjoy no immunity. The only issue might be the probable cause required for an arrest.
3
Substituting the physical confrontations of the Boston Massacre with the brewing legal conflicts (of our country's nascent ending?) is interesting.
Boston was owned by Britain and Britain had the right to send soldiers there. By extension, one Lt. White had royal authority to promote law and order. To have said otherwise would have been not only legally incorrect, but literally treasonous. Short of religious organizations, it's hard for any human to claim greater authority than that which is bestowed by an actual sovereign ruler within his/her own domain. It's broader authority than has ever been granted to any president in U.S. history. Yet the ABUSE of that power was not tolerated even back then for the same reason Trump should remember today.
The U.S. does not respect ANY form of absolute power. The founders did not think it appropriate to let their own religious beliefs provide a legal basis for absolute power, much less any mortal walking amongst them. Before U.S. citizenship existed, our country spat in the face of the last authority figure who dared presume such a thing. So even if Trump wore an actual crown and had a legitimate royal title, in this country his delusions of grandeur would still exceed even that reality. Trump and Giuliani merely ASSUME and CLAIM absolute presidential authority and immunity from ALL criminal indictments. But like so many hidden tax returns, Trump's claims are dubious when tested.
1
If the GOP was not complicit, articles of impeachment should be drawn up now. You don't wait till Trump does what he says he wants to do to decide it is not constitutional.
5
That Trump dreams of being an American Louis XIV should be no surprise to anyone anymore. What is staggering is the utter and complete silence from the Republican camp. Imagine for a moment Obama had made such a statement! The Republicans are taking an incredible gamble with their own and America‘s future. If America does wake up - hopefully sooner rather than later - absolutely none of the current Republican politicians have any credibility left. The entire party will have to be replaced because they have proven themselves unwilling and / or unfit to hold up the Constitution and democratic principles. Unless they’re secretly scheming, trying to find their Brutus ...
6
GOP. RIP
1
All of the talk seems to be about the inquiry and Trump's "right" to subvert it, but surely the corollary of having supreme power and the ability to "pardon" himself is that he could, in theory, suspend the next presidential elections and then declare himself "President for Life" and his son would be his natural successor.
Don't focus on today's problem America, look at the longer game as well. Goodnight and good luck. Alun Hughes
3
I remember at inauguration time I noted Trump and his family admiring the statue of Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial. I said at that time, Trump was not admiring one of our greatest Presidents, the President who united a divided America, but was envisioning himself in Lincoln's place. Now I see Trump as the person who successfully divided America and I am sure he thinks that he will be remembered for it.
11
He is PROUD to divide our country
Worthless shameless politicians/crooks of the GOP
1
Trump is playing a game. It's where he makes propositions and sees how they work. If they work, he most likely will use them. His support amongst Republicans rests on a belief that he is just provoking his enemies, that he is not going to betray them. But Trump only serves Trump. He thinks with good reason that his promotional skills can save him from legal and political jeopardy if he controls the public conversation.
7
As I studied the Constitution, John McCain articulated this as well, each branch has equal power. Our government is design as a government of checks and balances. If the President has sworn a oath to uphold and honor the Constitution, there exists no question that the President is not immune to the laws of the land. No one person can be their own judge and jury.
What is it that people don't understand, Trump is dangerous to the norms and law of the land.
Trump wants to be dictator, he wants to further his family fortunes and wealth, that was his motivation in the beginning and it will be in the end. I just hope it is not to all our end.
American people read, become informed and vote.
10
Being a dictator is a relationship that involves commitments to the ancient requirements of gaining and keeping power. It tends to be a lifetime commitment. Now do you really think that Trump longs for that kind of responsibility? Trump is just taking what he can get and trying not to find himself encumbered by any accountability while he soaks in the sunlight of celebrity.
1
The headline would be more accurate if it read: Trump and His Lawyers Embrace a Vision of Unfettered Absolute Dictatorial Executive Power.
10
Let's put this another way -
Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution specifically states:
"The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."
Is the President explicitly exempted from any legal process in relation to conduct of this section? No. The Constitution is quite clear. Forget opinions, this is the law.
8
Perhaps Kim will become Trump's next political idol and advisor after Vlad. Trump seems obsessed with becoming an autocrat. I'm not sure if it is an ego thing or a way to protect himself when he gets indicted for obstruction of justice and laundering money for Russian oligarchs.
7
One has to be guilty to be pardoned. And one has to know they’re guilty to think about being pardoned.
11
It has been said that if America should ever founder it will have been because of what happened within. May God watch over and bless the USA.
7
All this self-pardoning talk is a message to Mueller.
If Trump is indicted, he will pardon himself, creating a constitutional crisis.
Trump is saying, "Do you really want to go there?"
4
Yes, this whole thing is kind of crazy, but it's all trumped (so to speak) by the provisions in the Constitution that provide for how a president may be impeached and removed from office. So President Trump can bluff and bluster all he wants, but all that's doing is to make Congress less reluctant to go after him if the need arises.
1
Yes, we do. Absolutely. Call the coward-liar’s bluff. And test the Charter of this Country.
1
The framers of the constitution imagined a possible scenario in which a legally-elected president was threatened with a coup attempt via a corrupted, weaponized justice system and congress. The powers cited by Trump's legal team were never meant to protect an actual law-breaking President - I don't think the framers ever thought someone could be elected that combined this level of grift with this level of shamelessness - meaning, if the president were caught in a crime, there was clear evidence presented, they would certainly resign out of shame, correct?
6
So presumably Trump's lawyers believe Obama could have intervened in Justice Department investigations and his intent, corrupt or not, would have been irrelevant. By this logic, there would have been nothing wrong with wiretapping Trump Tower, implanting a spy into the campaign, or preventing any investigation into Clinton's emails, even if all three were explicitly to help elect Clinton. Their argument undermines even the most delusional of Trump's Obama rants.
6
Trump has got to go (out of the Oval Office). For those who missed it: he acts like someone who believes himself to be a monarch; and Melania already dressed like European royalty when Macron visited, which means Melania is anti-American in her attitudes. And by the way, there is nothing royal about her. One is as shamelessly self-aggrandizing as the other, and none of them has any healthy sense of who they are. It is time for a non-confidence vote, on the basis of immoral conduct and obstruction of justice. One of these two reasons should be enough to oust them out of the White House.
7
Here's an interesting exercise for you. Google "Can Hillary pardon herself if she is elected" and you'll find a series of articles between May 2016 and Nov. 2016 during the campaign and the investigation into her illegal use of classified emails. In these articles they contemplate these same questions about the extent of the Presidential pardon authority. And you'll find many legal scholars, on the record, stating that yes, under the Constitution, if she were indicted for her classified material misuse and elected that she could pardon herself. One such article was the American Bar Association Journal's Constitutional Law section Nov. 7, 2016 and it included a 1999 citation by acclaimed U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Richard Posner, agreeing with that view. He wrote, when discussing the impeachment of Bill Clinton, "It has generally been inferred from the breadth of the constitutional language that the president can indeed pardon himself." What you don't find in any of the conversation about Bill or Hillary potentially using this power are the words dictator, emperor, King, Fuhrer or the many other derogatory terms used by commenters on this article. Those are reserved for our current office holder. But that has a lot more to do with their view of Trump than the validity of their constitutional argument.
remember all this by a POTUS that knowingly and publically uses an UNSECURED cell phone to spend his time tweeting
Think about that
Unsecured cell phone.
Why aren't we all screaming "Traitor?"
2
Julius Caesar " ... played a critical role in the events that led to the demise of the Roman Republic ... and was eventually proclaimed 'dictator in perpetuity', giving him additional authority." (Wikipedia) It did not end well for him.
4
He is a politician. He is not a king. For those who worship him remember it is our nation, not his.
4
I think it is a great thing that Trump's lawyers are advancing a defense strategy this loony ... and this fascist.
All Trump has left is 4chan "legal theories." Pretty soon he's going to trot out incel entitlement ... wait and see.
1
He doesn't realize that he is not the reigning monarch of Americans, and that he is not the CEO of USA, Inc. His supporters wish he were, and should be careful what they wish for.
5
it did not end well for 45's teacher Roy Cohn. It is not going to end well for him.
His businesses will also likely suffer more than they are now (few are doing well).And fewer still will want to do a business deal with such an intemperate wildly unpredictable immature child.
4
The presidency of Donald Trump is not so much an example how absolute power corrupts absolutely. It's a case of the absolutely corrupt gaining absolute power, which I think might be much, much worse.
4
I have instinctively pulled back from comparison between Hitler and Trump, but reading narratives written across several key dates at the end of WWII by people ranging from Goebbels, to Hitler, to Churchill, to Roosevelt but mostly by ordinary people (and bought together by the magnificent Walter Kempowski) I am no longer pulling back. There are direct and alarming parallels.
3
I've heard civics isn't taught in high school anymore.
2
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: this Administration is a complete and utter mess.
5
wake me up when its over
3
No! Thats what they want. Put on a pot of strong coffee and fight back. Vigorously.
3
what next, jus primae noctis??
1
Oy.
If this latest sanctimonious statement of evil arrogance by our current dictator in chief doesn't bring chills down ones spine then our country's democracy and it's constitution as currently written is in bigger trouble than anyone may have imagined.
It should also be the impetus that draws the Independents and progressives to the polls in droves this November. This man has got to go.
16
There was a time when I wasn't following DC before the election and now I long for those times of ignorance. I still hold to the idea our government is resilient and will survive this President. It may change though given how abusive this president is to the powers that were entrusted to him.
4
Leave it to Mr. Trump to put the cart before the horse. One has to be found guilty in order to be pardoned.
6
thing is, he and his lawyers are apparently too ill informed, and yes, stupid, to realize that. Says much about who works for such a fool.
Not that I think it's a good idea or that he should, but according to Art. II sec. 2 of the U.S. Constitution, various SCOTUS rulings including Ex parte Garland (1867) and Murphy v Ford (1975) the "President has the constitutional power to grant a pre-indictment pardon." So evidently he could put the cart before the horse is he so chose.
Not really - check Gerry Ford’s pardon of Nixon for all (never prosecuted) crimes he “may” have committed as president.
If the worst of the Trump-Russia Connections prove true, and maybe I have fallen into the Conspiracy Theorists’ mindset, they may well be, if the right people tell the truth ...
... Then we have a President beholden to Putin, the Russian government’s banks, and the nation’s oligarchs and wealthy criminals (is there a difference between the last two?) ...
... Due to either dirty pictures or, more likely, dirty money and campaign tactics. Russian repayment to the US for its destruction of not only the power to control the Iron Curtain, but the USSR itself?
Putin, like Trump is a wannabe super-dictator,.
Trump has at least committed de facto obstruction of justice, maybe not “illegally”, depends what and when he knew it, But he has indeed shattered the trust this nation had in the FBI after Hoover and his fellow madmen were dust, the press and news media in general, and the very government institutions he swore to keep running and running according to law, even the courts and the Department of Justice, He seems to be tearing all apart in his efforts to hide something. Then again, he couldn’t even accept the truth about the numbers of people at his inauguration.
Putin IS absolute ruler of Russia. But that is nowhere bear what he seems to want, control of the old USSR and its satellites.
Is Trump his punishment for diminishing his realm
The half-life of egomaniacs (Hitler, Mussolini, Pol Pot, et al) is about ten years. They soar for a few years then crash and burn. Trump is not only a egomaniac, he is a moron. The guy has already jumped the shark with his dictator talk. How can it possibly benefit the oligarchs if the gravy train they currently are riding comes to a crashing halt by the fall of American democracy? The oligarchs need to apply the breaks (via their bought representatives in congress). President for life trump is not quite the same as president for life Xi. Xi plays chess, trump plays whack-a-mole. Xi will last for some time, who knows what are the next series of idiotic events trump will trigger.
Trying to rule the Roman empire, said the harassed second emperor Tiberius (AD 14-37), was "like holding a wolf by the ears''.
Trump is not likely going to be able to hang on.
9
Was he elected Emperor when nobody was paying attention?
7
It's too bad Trump didn't benefit from a public education.
He would learned ow our nation emerged from the English experience:
Magna Carta -- can't use tax money for personal whim
Divine right of kings -- can't abuse subjects,
English Civil war (Charles 1 executed) -- can't make war with parliaments (representative government)
Charles 2 -- can't collude with foreign powers against his own country (he fled to France)
George 3 -- can't dump tax burden on people who can't vote
9
Trump longs for a world where he is dictator, with absolute power like Hitler or Duterte and a secret Trump Gestapo that will follow his every command. His advisers, intellectually much wiser than the rest of us, expect to get in on the ground floor of the permanent Trump dictatorship.
That is NOT far fetched. A frustrated populace, with elected government non-responsive to their needs, seems willing to turn the reins of power over to a dictator who makes populist promises with neither the interest or capability of providing the results.
Still far fetched? Look at America in general and what fraction of the population rises up to confront Trump's excesses. Those of us who read the NYT and similar publications find ourselves in a relatively liberal tribe who find difficulty in recognizing that most of the population doesn't seem to agree with us.
If the economy continues to improve, I predict that Trump will be reelected and then the real excesses will begin including his demands for an exception to the two-term limit, wholesale redesign of the FBI and adjustments to the Constitution imposed by fiat.
It IS time to be worried, not so much at Trump but at the populace who have come to regard him as a solution to the broken functionality of our Congress.
15
These extreme claims are more than Trump's defense against an investigation into him. They are an effort to seize control of the justice department, to shield him from punishment for any crime he might have committed or choose to commit, and to empower him to crush any and all opposition.
They are therefore part of a coup d'etat.
If GOP legislators roll over and permit Trump to do this, they'll have torn down an essential barrier to dictatorship. with Trump a more than willing dictator.
8
No President can go against the wishes of the American people few have even thought about doing it. the American people are that audience that loves you up to the point that they don't. The American mob is more dangerous than a room full of wild lions and Tigers, once insulted or threatened the American turns and demands blood. Kings and royalty have noble oblige which keeps the mobs at bay, but Presidents, having been cut from the same cloth as the mob have no such luck. One man, President or not must tread very lightly, the object of the President of the United States is to keep the mob divided and pointed towards its own center, the worst thing that could ever happen to one man, is to have the American people united against him. So all is bluff, its not so much as no American is above the law, as it that no American is above the mob.
I have been following the President’s claims, and his lawyers’ claims, and the silence of Republicans is making me nervous.
This man and his over-sized ego, coupled with over-sized ambition for himself and his family, will hopefully be written in our country’s history as the high-point of presidential power. If they do not, our Republic will be dead and the Constitution lost to us for practical application.
One can only hope, pray, and work toward a Democratic majority in Congress in the fall. Given the current set of Republican toadies and cowards, it is likely to be, with an honest judiciary (many of whom may be personally indebted to this man and his self-serving allies) the only possibility of saving our nation.
5
There's been much recent somewhat esoteric talk concerning presidential power, law, the Constitution, and historical precedent. But, let's cut to the basics. In laying out their great experiment, the Founders did not intend that we be governed by a monarch, either of the early English or current Middle East sort; a fascist type authoritarian (e.g. Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin); or a banana republic-like dictator.
In short, Trump's recent assertions are in clear opposition to the Original Intent of the Founders. Accordingly, those assertions should be dismissed, and Trump should be deposed for pursuing them (abuse of power?).
4
The Trump Brigade sets themselves apart as "real Americans" whose brand of patriotism and love of country exceeds those of us who did not vote for Trump and who still do not support him. Yet it becomes clearer every day that Trump has no respect for the American governing process established in our country since the late 1780s. it seems that the Trump supporters would go back to the days of pledging allegiance to King George III rather than respect our country's Constitution in their reverence towards Trump and his absolutist style of governing.
5
patriotiism is the last refuge of scoundrels.
2
The Constitution assigns federal prosecutorial power to the president. This means the president can start or stop any federal investigation. It also means the Justice Department can only investigate or prosecute the president with the president’s permission. This is why presidents have never been indicted by a federal court for firing an attorney general or a special prosecutor. It is also the reason a president would never be placed in the position of having to pardon himself. However, immunity to prosecution within the federal judicial system does not place the president above the law. The Constitution is the law of the land. It empowers Congress to impeach the president and try him for high crimes and misdemeanors. The Constitution also specifically provides that the president’s power to grant reprieves or pardons does not include cases of impeachment. The omnipresent threat of impeachment compels presidents to cooperate with special investigations. The delegates who signed the Constitution did not intend to give federal attorneys power to place the president on trial; it gave that power only to Congress.
1
In the Declaration of Independence the founding fathers listed their complaints against King George, and number one on the list is: "He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good." This is quite opposite the notion that they intended the executive to be in a privileged position above the law. There is, in fact, every indication that the founding fathers believed that no man is above the law, and the Constitution should be so interpreted.
2
Begin with the rule of the Department of Justice that while the President remains in office, he or she may not be subject to criminal prosecution. Seems like that is enough for the President of the United States to believe his/her powers are unlimited.
The more desperate and frantic Trump becomes, the more authoritarian he turns in his lust for power, our Constitution notwithstanding.
2
Isn’t there a plan for dealing with the leader who claims to be all powerful as the Divine Embodiment of the Law?
Seems like history may have encountered a few of these types before. I thought our system was supposed to safeguard against that. What gives?
Can anyone imagine asserting this kind of vast executive power? Anyone? I didn't think so.
Crossing my fingers and hoping that the November 2018 election will be the first step toward cutting this megalomaniac down to size.
1
Make no mistake, Trump and his enablers in the Republican Party are now on the cusp of ending our democracy as we've come to know it and how the Constitution defines it. Trump's heroes are men like Putin and Duterte. Men who give the barest lip service to democratic principles while they then do everything to stay in power firmly believing they are above the law. These statements by his attorneys are more than alarming, they're a signal that Trump will do virtually anything to stay in power. That his attorneys have fewer ethics than any could have imagined. We need to realize that his oath of office meant no more to him than when we click "Accept" on a websites privacy statement. This applies to his appointees too. To them following the law is for suckers. We also need to never forget that this problem is so much greater than Trump too. His millions of followers are eager for him to take over, to end our democracy and become the world wide bully they dream we could be. To these followers our democracy, as messy as it is, isn't as dynamic and powerful as the lone strongman like Trump admires. These are the saddest days for our nation since the Civil War and it is, perhaps, the actual beginning of our end.
4
The Trump administration claim to absolute power might be humorous if the Republican Party leadership possessed a moral compunction to challenge it. As it is, nothing stands between Mr. Trump and his claim to the kingship of this nation, because the Republican leadership is proving it will allow this government of the people to be usurped by a Russian stooge.
4
Why doesn't anyone stand up to him? Yes, Mueller is conducting an investigation, but in the meantime, this man must delight in diverting attention, creating chaos at the top levels of federal and state governments and signing executive orders that can be, as he's demonstrated, undone. He is simply appalling and our congressional representatives who let him parade his flagrant disregard for every, law, institution and individual with whom he disagrees are equally reprehensible.
2
It's time for the Women's Marchers to organize another event. And it needs to be bigger, louder and more disruptive of transportation and commerce. Let's take a cue from South Koreans who's "Candlelight Struggle" took place over a six month period and led to the ouster of their President, Park Geun-hye who was recently sentenced to 24 years in prison for corruption. Come on, Women's March, let's do it!
2
About the Russian "no-colusion", POTUS would do well living among czars and other reigning monarchs, including the Prince of Novgorod, Grand Prince of Kiev, Grand Prince of Vladimir, Grand Prince of Moscow, Tsar of All Rus', and Emperor of All Russia, and Putin. The list started with Prince of Novgorod Rurik, sometime in the mid 9th century (862), and ended with the Emperor of All Russia Nicholas II who abdicated in 1917.
This is happening in Iowa voting today!!!!
Voters in four counties across Iowa were given the wrong polling location via text messages from an unknown number on Monday, causing confusion at the polls Tuesday.
5
if the Republican-controlled Congress wasn't so spineless and cowardly, Donald Trump would be gone. The obscene assertions of authority that he and his legal team make are enough to make him impeachable as violating his oath to follow the Constitution and the laws of the country. His statements of authority are those of a criminal, not a president. Truly, James Comey was right and Trump is the head of a crime family.
5
The time is nigh for this wannabe-king to be deposed. And following that, Amendments to the Constitution are due. Amongst them, explicit language - legal precedent will not suffice - that a sitting President cannot pardon himself, nor perhaps anyone in his or her office. Next, let’s dispose with this dreadful Electoral College. On to another aspect of elections: tax returns must be shared by would-be chief executives. And finally, some disqualifying language for presidential candidates who have more than some reasonable number of legitimate lawsuits pending against them.
We all saw this coming. Let’s prevent it from happening again.
11
This talk of a pardon really scares me. Obviously the guy has something pretty terrible to hide, knows he can't hide it forever, and is organizing plan B. If he understood a scintilla of history or constitutional law he would know pardoning himself is not a practical option; but he doesn't--understand the law, the constitution, or own a sense of tradition or legacy.
To me, the only reasonable solution must be provided by a Republican congress. If the Democrats impeach, assuming they retake control of Congress, the attempt to impeach will only resemble the food fight the two parties currently display over issues of policy. The GOP must step forward and fight for America, not just majority control.
Paul Ryan, don't retire...Fight. You know Trump is bent. Go down fighting. Give the speech you know must be given...will eventually be given by someone anyway...and let the GOP shun you if they must. Give others the chance to stand up and do the right thing. Give the silent Republicans across America the opportunity to follow a real Republican. And, if no one follows your lead, because majority control is so important to leadership, at least you will be able to tell your grandkids you did the right thing.
This truly is a time for courage. All congress people should ask themselves whether they wish to judged by history as a Sam Ervin or a Joe McCarthy.
6
No where was it ever envisioned by the authors of the US Constitution that the President could never be subject to the laws. The Supreme Court has enshrined this belief by stating in numerous decisions that the President is not above the law. Yet this President who we see living in a world of his own construction and continually lashing out in fits of uncontrolled rage, views himself as all powerful, all controlling and beyond the constraints of the Constitution and the law. It's bad enough to have a President behaving and believing as he has, but my real concern are the President's enablers and at their sides, those who will say and do nothing but obey the autocrat. These are truly the dangerous ones. They are the ones that would allow a democracy to slip into a dictatorship. It happened before and continues to happen. And could happen to us.
6
Both Bush II and Obama set this all up through there own visions of vast executive power. Bush II with the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, and Obama with the extrajudicial killing of American citizens abroad. Trump's attitude is just a continuing legacy of the prior two administrations.
Say what you will about Trump (and I agree with many that he is awful), as far as I know, he has not started any wars without Congressional approval nor has he executed American citizens without trial.
Trump and his lawyers does not seem to know how the constitution and government works. This is what the country got for electing a person with no government experience and who has been violating laws apparently throughout his life.
2
A fog of anxiety has crept over the land, while 40% of our fellow citizens are gleeful seeing their religious and exclusionary views thrust upon the rest of the population. That trump has already gotten away with spouting his dribble unencumbered by congress or the courts ... these are the markers of a declining experiment in enlightened governance, the same markers of every civilization on the way down.
At what point will trump demand the identity of each of us who are commenting in this section? When will he make a joke encouraging his armed minions to ask their neighbors where they stand? When will the knocks on the doors in the middle of the night begin? When will trump begin demanding the construction of prisons/camps, in case?
4
Does anyone else find it interesting that all the claims for a president being somehow above the law have come from Republican administrations?
4
This was the last gasp attempt of his lawyers to come up with an intellectually honest argument why Trump should not be indicted or impeached. As to the former mayor of New York who is now Trump's mouthpiece, no one would confuse him with Gabriel. He has not aged well.
4
By going on and on about how he can pardon himself, isn't basically ALREADY admitting that he would likely be charged with a crime if Mueller could charge him?
But then, in the mind of Trump, that would be because of a "conspiracy" or a "witch hunt", not because he's actually done anything wrong.
To paraphrase Shakespeare, "me thinks the [man] doth protest too much!"
6
if it looks like a duck
quacks like a duck
waddles like a duck
it's sure not a swan...
looks guilty
talks guilty
walks (acts) guilty....because he IS guilty
For someone who incessantly proclaims his innocence and should have nothing to fear, why is he acting so guilty?
4
The founders were pretty thoughtful and expansive, but there were things even they couldn’t anticipate. For one, an executive as narcissistic, ill-informed and corrupt as Trump in power at the same time as a complicit and myopic majority congress. For another, a plethora of personal firearms hundreds — if not thousands — of times more lethal than those they considered when the 2nd Amendment was devised. I guess we’ll see if their great experiment can survive some of their shortcomings.
5
Well, the founders did have some experience dealing with a guy named King George III, who may have been the one guy who ruled over America who was nuttier than our current president.
2
Americans have no need or want of a King! Trump's base is not indicative of the larger American population, but I suspect that the GOP is wiling to burn this country down for the sake of tax breaks.
4
Based on the growing mountain of circumstantial evidence, including the indictments and guilty pleas already generated by Trump's circle of advisers and campaign workers, and assuming that where there is considerable smoke that surrounds all of them that there is considerable fire (at the very top), what other choice does Trump have, than to declare himself legally untouchable? It's not like the guy has any shame at all, and maybe it'll work, right? I mean, he got himself elected despite revealing himself to be completely lacking in personal integrity and morals, so what's there to lose by declaring himself untouchable?
The job title is "President." If the framers of the Constitution had intended to grant these sort of powers to one person, they would have called that person "King."
2
Don't y'all realize that Trump is going against all odds, he not only wants a second term, but a third. He will do anything/everything to attain his goal. Who is to stop him? Not his Republican Party.
Help!!
2
The 1648 charges against Charles I of England stated that the king's, "wicked designs, wars, and evil practices of him, the said Charles Stuart, have been, and are carried on for the advancement and upholding of a personal interest of will, power, and pretended prerogative to himself and his family, against the public interest, common right, liberty, justice, and peace of the people of this nation." Despite his assertion of the Divine Right of Kings, the court found Charles guilty and passed the sentence "That the court being satisfied that he, Charles Stuart, was guilty of the crimes of which he had been accused, did judge him tyrant, traitor, murderer, and public enemy to the good people of the nation, to be put to death by the severing of his head from his body."
Those who fail to read history are doomed to repeat it.
2
Trump should get off twitter and read history, things do not usually end well for strongman autocrats like he aspires to, especially when they destroy their country like he is doing.
3
Congress MUST pass a law to make it clear that a president CAN NOT pardon himself. A president is not above the law.
4
His bizarre claim to absolute, unrestrained power is only matched by the GOP's equally bizarre willingness to allow it.
7
Perhaps this is, at last, the tipping point.
2
Get used to it - The Don is the law. Kiss his ring and declare fealty. There are no limits to his power. The President as "Godfather".
4
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Ben Franklin and even Aaron Burr must be rolling over in their graves. "A message from the King..." (see Hamilton musical) is fitting here.
1
Maybe the Republicans will get a clue when Trump cancels elections due to “national security.”
8
I hope the people who elected this clown recognize that they have likely sent this country back from where it came before it was a country, back to imperial, dictatorial rule. They have created the exact tyranny this country was founded to escape. They have elected the man who will become known as the fist dictator of the United States if he reaches his objectives.
Only the Congress and Senate can stop this now other than outright citizen revolt. And, I can only hope that all parties recognize the monster that has not so much been created as allowed to roam free. The Senate and Congress must act swiftly to prevent the greatest disaster in the history of this country.
5
Thought process of Republican senators and congress people:
“On the one hand...me, my career. On the other...the United States of America.”
A fraction of a second later:
“Well, that was easy.”
5
The parallel to the events in Germany during the 1920's into the early 1930's is inescapable. Today we have such luminaries as Putin , Erdogan , and Orban following that roadmap. Herr Trump wished to enter that "club".
The congress of The United States of America, our shining symbol of democracy, must not abrogate its Constitutional powers and responsibility by permitting Herr Trump to assume powers he does not have or is entitled to.
5
It's almost like they're in it together, and it's been planned.
1
When will this nightmare that is Donald Trump end?
3
In his crayon-colored vision of what "President" means, Mr. Trump enjoys all the cheeseburgers he wants, he has a luscious and full head of golden-blonde hair, his tan is real, all the girls want to be his date, and he can banish or jail anyone who says anything mean or bad about him, [or anyone who points out that Trump Tower is not the tallest building in New York.]
He is free to believe this, because the feckless Republican leadership refuses to yank his leash even a little bit out of fear that he'll take his ball [i.e. a dwindling number of die-hard red-blooded 'Merican voters] and go home. That, and he has zombie lawyer Rudy Giuliani telling him that "President" and "King" mean, well, basically the same thing. He can't BREAK rules, because in Rome, Caesar IS the rule.
At some point you'd hope the saner folks in Congress would pull this clown car over. Us concerned citizens are wondering at what point does this gets ridiculous enough for that to happen.
7
Time to change the laws on pardons
3
Dangerous as it is, the gathering absolute power is something politicians, including Presidents, can be expected to try to do.
It's the standards of complete entitlement and unfettered access to personal enrichment, seen by Trump as included in that power, that should scare the Hell out of us.
3
Vast Executive Power = Dictator
4
DICTATOR ALERT.
Trump's first wife said the president kept a copy of Hitler's speeches on his bedside table.
This power grab should be a warning to ALL Americans.
7
The deep irony of this is so apparent.
During Obama's terms, Republicans made every effort to sandbag him as much as possible, as exemplified by McConnell's original statement that Republicans would ensure a one-term president, the glove being thrown down at the beginning of that presidency. It became such a problem that, by his second term, Obama began to use executive privilege to issue administrative orders just to get needed tasks completed. And oh, how the conservative voters howled. So much so that an entire website was created, dedicated to their outrage, called "StopKingObama.com". This being only one of many such channels of hate speech and falsehood. Truly fake news.
Fast forward to the present. Many Trump supporters, which include at least a subgroup of Obama haters, are perfectly comfortable with executive orders via Trump, indeed even the kind of overreach that is widely recognized as veering into territory which is legally and/or ethically unsupportable, quite aside from being erratic and counterproductive, and which is damaging the reputation of the United States abroad. But hey, "Trump's our boy." So anything goes, critics be damned. A willful blindness.
6
I didn’t know a king was elected in 2016 and not a President. Must be that invisible ink on the constitution finally came to light.
12
How to commit treason and never go to prison.
1) Commit treason
2) Get elected by lying
3) When confronted with evidence of lying, say "My recollections have been altered".
4) When confronted with the incredible number of instances of lying say "EXCUSE ME!"
4
Can anyone be surprised Trump wants to be dictator?
10
The United States of America is based on laws.......
Not Loyalty
4
It was.
1
Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution states that the President “…shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed…” The Constitution does not give the President unlimited legal authority, or name the President as the “chief enforcement officer.” Closing down a lawful investigation is not faithful execution.
In fact, the Constitution empowers the Congress “To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;” (Article I, Section 8). And it was Congress who authorized our federal legal system and created the role of Attorney General in the Judiciary Act of 1789, so of course, contrary to Mr. Kasowitz’s claims, the legal powers of the President can and should be constrained by both Congress and the Supreme Court.
In regards to the President’s powers to “…grant Reprieves and Pardons…” many commenters have already noted that the Constitution makes an exception for “Cases of Impeachment.” So for example, if an officer of the United States were to be impeached by Congress for a crime, let’s say hypothetically bribery, the President would have no legal authority to grant a Pardon.
Also interesting to note about the Pardon power is that it is contained in one long sentence that defines the President as the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy. This context clue gives weight to the idea that the Reprieves and Pardons power was intended as a tool for solving military and international conflicts, and not for political spoils.
11
His lawyers should pass the bar before opening their ignorant mouths
No winder he can’t find or buy accurate legal
advice
When your ( qualified) lawyer tells you to keep your mouth shut do so ( besides people won’t comment on how stupid you are)
When they give you this advise fire them
As for any American citizen that still supports such a foolish ignoramus i suggest civics lessons
And then you’ll have my pity
1
In other words, he and his ilk want a dictatorship. Lets be frank, shall we? If that's the only vision this wanna be Putin has (and I believe that to be the case) then he needs to be kicked out on his ample rear as soon as possible.
21
As I read the article, and all the commentary there was one concept that was never applied. American citizens are ALL subject to the rule of the law. Those who become president do not renounce their citizenship; nor do they attain some super-citizenship. The entire argument is specious. Period.
12
Wow great point wish I'd thought of it
The lawyers who argue for Trump are in the same category as the Republican members of Congress who close their eyes, turn the backs and do his bidding. I suppose the one important difference is billable hours.
12
Billable to their constituents
Fire them all this November
2
No one at any level of officialdom in the United States has Power. No one.
The only thing any public official has when on duty working for us is the authority granted to them by us to do the job they have been hired to do.
The psychological misconception of that authority as power is a fundamental misconception of what freedom and self government is.
7
"Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not not perish from the Earth" A. Lincoln. I guess that President Trump is testing the American people by that statement which he likely does not believe but hopes he can get away with. If we the People do nothing, our acquiescence will inflame his proclivities and one day soon we will wake up to tyranny. The last time American knew what tyranny was we fought a war after exhausting all other options. That time may be coming our way again, sadly. The sooner Pres. Trump becomes Mr. Trump the less eroding of our civil society will need to be rebuilt.
8
The remedy provided by the Constitution for removal of a President is -impeachment.It would have been perilous to entrust thast power to the Courts, or to any process that would enable a coup.Impeachment is political, transparent and difficult and has been employed where required. Because it is a political process, the Supreme Court probably will find any case non-justicable-thereby consigning the dispute to constitutional remedies, and avoiding having one equal branch of Government remove another.
In 1789 the framers could not have foreseen that a reality show star / real estate huckster / disordered personality would (1) become president in the first place (the electoral college was designed to prevent that), and (2) do anything so utterly bizarre as pardoning himself. This is simply a loophole, and needs to be closed via a constitutional amendment.
2
Obviously, I have no inside knowledge of this but I believe the Mueller investigation is headed in one direction -- toward obstruction charges against the president and his family
That is the one thing Trump will not tolerate. I don't think he has any problem letting others hang. But the family is off limits. And that's what these messages about "absolute" authority seem to convey. It's as though Trump is telling Mueller: you can go after the others. But if you come after me, I will fire you and pardon everybody, including myself. And I'll order the FBI to investigate your investigation.
Of course, Mueller isn't going to be swayed by that. He is building the best obstruction case ever against an American president. The evidence of obstruction is astounding. Can you imagine the GOP having this much evidence against Bill Clinton in '98?
11
The Presidential Pardon Power is actually limited in many ways, it can't be used to Pardon state crimes and it can't effect a possible impeachment by Congress. So if he has committed any state crimes while in office or Congress should decide to Impeach him, he is still out of luck.
1
I surmise his earlier comment about shooting someone in NYC and not being held accountable is just another power play.
What do his lawyers say about his power to murder someone and not be punished. He might have to take the extra steps of being impeached by the House and being found guilty by the Senate, before he faces criminal charges; but he is certainly not above the law!
4
This comment will not be anything new to many Times readers, but will be to some: have a look at Sinclair Lewis' "It Can't Happen Here." Well, folks, it's happening.
3
What must it be like to be Robert Mueller? All of our hopes and dreams for an "accounting" rests on his shoulders.
Except... we are doomed if we think that is the only recourse we have. We must take to the polls and vote the traitors out.
For it doesn't matter if Mueller even has videotape - it takes Congress to deal with a sitting president. Even one as horrific as this one.
7
Trump supporters... voting for him was one thing, supporting him today is another... and no, supporting 'policy' is not the same as throwing your hands in the air when the man colludes with a hostile power (YEAH, I KNOW I KNOW, YOU DON'T BELIEVE THAT 'DEEP STATE' NONSENSE).
As a liberal who hates Trump with the same passion that Kanye loves Kanye- I've had a pretty mentally crippling 500 days with Trump at the helm of power. The only plus side is that I am now a totally jaded person who has resigned themselves to the idea that "ehhhh, if we can't pull off this whole 'maintain our system of justice' business, we might not be voting democratically in 2020". So, Trump supporters, I can say with the utmost confidence that regardless of what your 'feelings' or 'beliefs' about the President are, when he sells our national security for a quick buck, whether you 'believe' he did it or not is irrelevant... you will suffer for it.
Eventually voting for the most corrupt president in history and continuing to rally behind him (essentially forcing the elected R's to back him up) is going to catch up with you. Liberal or Conservative, we both have the same national security concerns... Don't be surprised if your loved one in the armed forces gets blown up in Qatar or sent to Iran over a quick $500M loan or a mean comment about POTUS' mattress company.
We're all in this together and we're all going down together. Like George Carlin said, you might as well enjoy the show. Right?
7
The Republican Congress has ceded their power to their corrupt leader and will become dust.
3
Why would a self-described innocent person (Trump)--in Trey Gowdy words--"behaves like he's guilty," firing an FBI director and threatening the same AG, deputy AG and special counsel directly involved in his investigation, attacking intel and law institutions and their personnel substantiate the probe and generally undermine any efforts to expose Russian attacks as conspiratorial "hoaxes" and "faked news"?
3
The legal scholars can analyze and parse this all and any way they want, but really, what's the point? Trump and his entire legal team have effectively taken a knee to protest the Constitution, the very existence of the Justice Department, and a completely legal investigation, right in broad daylight, right in the middle of the field.
Its time to take pin off the lapel, Mr. President. You are a disgrace to the flag, the country, the military, and the office.
4
And to think the Republicans were always going on about Obama being an imperial President... Where are they now? I guess they don't mind an emperor as long as it's a Republican emperor. Party over country. Greed Over People.
7
When Obama exercised executive orders, it was good. He was one of the good guys so all his decisions were for greater good, right?
You can't be taken seriously when you decry something that you liked so much just 3-4 years ago.
It was bad then, it is bad now. But to admit that, would mean admitting that Obama abused his power and we can't have that, can we?
2
The sheer stupdity of governance by executive order is in the contemporary history of it
This fool overturns EOs by Obama . So what will to happen to his EOs?
When one is as arrogant and stupid as this one & his power hungry party are blind as a bat
1
This is so sick. I worry every day, for our children, and theirs. Authoritarianism is not what this Nation is meant to accomodate,and accomodate is exactly what the corrupt GOP is doing. Godspeed Mueller + Team.
7
Wow I don't remember his running on a campaign to become an American God.
3
Vast executive power in the hands of Trump...all the better to hide his crimes.
2
He has the power to pardon himself. And the power to "anoint" himself too !
1
ALL American Presidents are above the law.
Just ask W. or Obama about it.
2
Pardon and absolute power. Shouldn't the King now issue a proclamation ordering bigger than life-sized gold statues of himself be erected in his honour all over the nation? Oh, and his image on the currency, of course.
And how about calling him 'Dear Leader'? No, wait, that's been taken...
3
Read Madeleine Albright’s “Fascism” (2018). As always, she nails it. Fascism has arrived on our shore. Unbelievable.
7
I am going to stay off 5th Avenue.
7
Don’t forget, he also thinks that he’s perfect. Delusional from Day One. A very sick man.
5
Thug mentality - not a monarchy as some suggest but a dictator based on lies. The discrediting of anyone who disagrees with him is criminal. Congress and business caved in and Trump steam rollers on smashing all semblance of decency.
3
I wonder if he'll ever reach a level of ridiculous that the Reflublicans in Congress CAN'T swallow and shrug?
4
Where is congress?
4
The Republican leaders response? Crickets.
3
Remember L'etat, C'est Moi ? That did not end well.
3
I know that this is all gaslighting by the Alternative facts WH. Go ahead! Pardon someone. Corrupt intent, is still corrupt intent. I’m going to laminate the Impeachment headline gets published
1
Their stated perspective would be contemptibly insupportable even from a competent president; hardly to be tolerated from a tenuously "elected" moron with severe character pathology. Add delusional presumptuousness to the long list of loathsome characteristics.
2
The latest doings in the absurdity that is Donald Trump continue, but now they show us a man who clearly wants to be a dictator. Example 1 -- saying he can pardon himself as President is essentially saying he is above the law -- that he is the law! Example 2 -- his wording concerning cancelling the Philadelphia Eagles visit to the White House has him in full bully form "They disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem..." He is now speaking about himself in the third person and insisting on subservience, a sign that he considers himself almost godlike. Most disturbingly, he is echoing the leadership style of Adolf Hitler. None of this is at all good and Donald Trump must now be considered dangerous.
4
I do this, too..... sit around every day daydreaming that I have absolute power, that everyone must bow down to me, that my powers are both legal AND magical and that everyone is heart-broken that they are not me! Ha! Who knew?
The only difference between My World and Trump World is that I don't involve a passel of high-priced lawyers, supposedly bright men, who I demand sit around with me, fantasizing about all that power and glory and pumping my ego.
Eeehu. Trump, I get. He's somewhere between an "idiot" and a "moron" - the jury is still out on which - but what I don't get are all those "helper-men". Is the money THAT good?
Doubt it. I suspect they just don't have any other place to go during the day, so they all cluster-fantasize and perk Trump up.
It's my understanding that Louis XVI even had a special man who would hold Louis' potty for him.
Frankly, Trump won't be interesting until he gets to that point.
Could be coming soon.........
4
stupid. just because its in the constitution doesnt mean it MATTERS. what a dope.
In my daydreams, I imagine Network's Howard Beale taking over fox news to free us all by shouting;
"All I know is that first, you've got to get mad.
You've gotta say, "I'm a human being, goddammit! My life has value!"
So, I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window, open it, and stick your head out and yell,
"I'm as mad as hell,
and I'm not going to take this anymore!!"
Unfortunately, most windows don't open these days, sealed in the comfort of air conditioning, numbing us to the changing weather.
“Above all, the United States of America is a Nation of Law.” One consequence of this seems to be that those who own the Law own the Nation. And, at this moment, it appears the Republican Party, in the name of the 1%, owns the Law. If the Republican Party, currently the owners of all three branches of our Government, says Mr. Trump is above the Law... who’s going to stop them? And, this is how our world will end: not with a bang, but with a whimper.
3
Trump has the right to say "pardon me" when, for example, he belches or shoves aside the leader of another country, as he is wont to do
When he lies to the FBI, the Justice Department, Congress, etc. about illegal acts he's committed, and then gets caught, "I pardon me" will not do. The USA would then have been converted into a dictatorship.
12
If the GOP plays along, we will be a dictatorship.
1
I believe the title of the article A VISION OF VAST EXECUTIVE POWER SAYS IT ALL. The President and his sycophants who primarily come from executive ranks believe they are the rule of law. Why wouldn't they feel
That way? For years we have collectively allowed them to get away with destroying the middle class. Look at the eradication of unions, pension plans, and health care once the staple and backbone of the country. What has replaced it; tax cuts for the rich, destruction of the social safety net and a gig economy all to benefit the one percent to the detriment of the rest of the country. Why would it be suprising that they act in DC the way the conducted themselves in the board rooms. It's our country. Are we going to take it back. It is going to take more then commenting in the NYT.
12
The pResident is basically suggesting he is above the law and if he tries to "pardon" himself and all of his corrupt cronies, you may as well label the US as the biggest authoritarian dictatorship in the world. He is abusing the powers of the office and the founding fathers unfortunately never envisioned such criminality in the oval office.
The people of the US have failed their democracy by electing this con.
8
Radha, in our fascination with the idea that a president might pardon himself we missed your idea that he may also be working on something for the corrupt cronies. I’m sure “getting away” with the Desouza thing emboldened him. Except here’s a technicality—you can’t pardon someone until he’s been convicted, and his dozen-or-so cronies who have been indicted are all still awaiting trial.
Is a shame that folks 55 or under don't have recollection of the proceedings during the "Watergate Scandal". I am old and followed the hearing avidly.
The present situation, while making Nixon look good in comparison, brings back memories. To illustrate, here is a link to the front page AND the text (below) of the NYT, oct 20 1973. History has a way to repeat itself...
https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/b...
5
Trump’s lawyers are obstructing justice. And his aides. They should be charged for that. The latest “personal lawyer” is employed (on taxpayer’s money) simply to spin the yarn another way, rewrite history according to Trump. End the tweeting at the nation’s expense. Trump must be called for interview. Examine his intent. Interrogate. On the back of (what’s the figure?) some 3’000 lies (6.5 per day), expect him to lie. Twist the facts, then contradict himself. Distort intention. Reinvent semantics. Let’s all witness his false claims and assertions and obstruction of justice, live. Lawmakers and enforcers and defenders of the Constitution and the Law do your job. The intention of lawmakers was never for the Constitution to be abused in this way or for the holder of Executive Office (President) to be (“above”) exempt from the laws of the land, that everyone else must obey.
5
Unlimited Exec powers were bad under Ibama and bad now. EOs are temporary while legislation by Congress is what is needed for long standing laws.
thats called a "false equivalence". Just because they had the same job doesn't mean they are the same man.
2
So unlimited exec powers were fine under Obama but not Trump? A little partisan? So in other words, it is all up to you if the unlimted powers are ok or not. Sorry. Good Government doesn't work that way.
When it all comes to light, (and I hope it does), King Donald will be found to be guilty of things we cannot even imagine. Money laundering, siding with Russians over Americans to enrich himself will only be the tip of the iceberg.
New laws will be written called the Trump laws, because they will be named after the man who almost got away with stealing the country and these new laws will be enacted to prevent anything like trump When it all comes to light, (and I hope it does), King Donald will be found to be guilty of things we cannot even imagine. Money laundering, siding with Russians over Americans to enrich himself will only be the tip of the iceberg.
New laws will be written called the Trump laws, because they will be named after the man who almost got away with stealing the country and these new laws will be enacted to prevent anything like Trump from happening again.
Of course twenty to thirty years later, Republicans will chip away at those laws until they become toothless, and a new hero of the people will want to Make America Great Again. Why? Because Americans never learn from the past, have short memories and FOX news.
7
Unless we have the surprise ending that he is found innocent—because it’s found that while his minions were scurrying about committing all these misdeeds he was in a haze, totally clueless as to what was going on.
Absolute executive power = dictatorship
Having lived many years in several countries with undisputable power by the leader of the country, Trump's claim of vast executive power is a serious threat to the constitution and the democratic process of the country. Whether his claim and desire are for his own personal gain or the interest of his inner circle, the end result is the same. The view of Trump, his lawyers, and Stephen Miller of course will undermine the rights of all people, including Trumpers, with corruption and violence.
6
Evidently, DJT and his followers do not know or have forgotten that the founders of America came her to escape the King . They fought a brutal, costly and divisive war to rid the country of Royal greed and putative ways. We did it again fighting another would be king WWII
I will bet that Americans instinctively realize how many have died for this freedom from demagogery and will not succumb to this effort at a coup.
8
I don't know how members of the gop and trump supporters can sleep at night. This entire administration is a tragedy.
10
This is outrageous! I am waiting for the dawning of his impeachment! He needs to be removed.
10
He always was and always will be nothing but a lying, cheating huckster. But now he's a lying, cheating huckster who wants to be Emperor of the USA. And who did it: Americans. Those of us who didn't vote for him right along with those who did. We cannot let it happen again. We must all vote and we must all do our best to get the vote out including ALL Democrats, ALL independents, and each and everyone of those Republicans who are waking up to the fact that they made a grievous error in November 2016. Start today with local elections and do it over again in November 2020.
4
After reading this I am left wondering, “How can anyone who loves this country and believes in the personal protections provided by the Constitution still support this president?” It’s not like his lawyers are making a subtle point — Trump has the ability to do anything to anyone at any time without consequence.
9
The Constitution does not give the presidency immunity from the law. In fact, quite the contrary. In the United States, no one is above the law. And all of the lies, tweets, and bluster will not change that.
And then, assuming that Trump did try to pardon himself. The question is, would the people of the United States allow him to remain in office? I think they would not, and if he refused to resign, it could potentially be the start of a second civil war.
7
Trump's lawyers have simply made a case that the President of the US is in fact, in-person, the whole and entire Justice Department, and any agencies and employees thereof are merely his personal agents.
It's not clear how civil and criminal procedures can be applied based on the subjective direction of one person. Taken literally Trump is the only person who can make a Federal arrest.
4
The only thing 'absolute' about Trump will be when he begs for 'absolution' from the Special Counsel findings.
Although everybody (or most) knows this is just more dog meat Trump throws around to keep the TV cameras off of his corrupt and treasonous family.
The sting of Mueller's investigation findings will bring Trump to take a stance just like the NFL players.....KNEEL.
5
You can only pardon someone guilty of a crime. So, to pardon himself Trump will have to stand before the whole country & confess to being guilty of all the crimes the Special Prosecutor finds he should be charged with. After that & pardoning himself he will have to as a FELON have to resign from the presidency. All this before he can pardon his criminal partners. After he won’t be able to pardon them. So they will face the full extent of HIS criminal acts. He will be sued in a class action suit, by all decent people in the US. When he loses that he & his total family will be destitute. Can’t wait to see him trying to sleep under a bridge, with Ivanka, & being rousted by the police to ‘move on criminal’.
4
No, the fake president is going one step further. He's going to pardon himself from ALL crimes, past, present of FUTURE.
2
These events are bringing us dangerously and horribly close to an EXACT historical precedent: Hitler's Enabling Act of 1933. That act essentially voided the legislature, and from then on it was "law by decree" by the Nazis. This present situation is essentially the same: the "president" asserts HE makes law, not Congress, thus negating their "check and balance" function and AUTHORITY. He is asserting that he has dictatorial power over ALL the laws of this country.
He is claiming the "rights" of tyrants and kings.
He is no American. He is a traitor to the very document to which he swore an oath. His "word" is meaningless.
He must be removed from office, by whatever means necessary.
16
Ah, but before Hitler enacted the emergency laws in 1933 there was an incident threatening national security - The fire in the Reichstag, allegedly started by a dutch communist. Only then, after being democratically elected as chancellor before that, did Hitler seize total power without being stopped by a powerless Reichspräsident Hindenburg. The incident was made up, the arsonist mentally handicapped, but enough to convince the public that the move to grab power was necessary. What will the incident be here in the US and when? The upcoming mid-term elections or the next presidential election.
Steve Bannon, who seems to favor authoritarian regimes as well - self-proclaimed stalinist - has been rather quiet lately and is probably moving behind the curtain.... Ok, the Bannon-bit is conspiracy-theory stuff...
The constitution mentions Congress, the courts and the executive. The constitution does not mention the FBI nor the DOJ. The FBI and the DOJ were created by legislation passed by Congress and sigend by the executive.
The FBI and the DOJ are inferior to the executive and to Congress in every way conceivable. They shall do what the executive tells them to do, and they shall turn over any document not covered by executive privilege if requested to by Congress.
We don't have a king anymore remember? Maybe the Trump Bunch is thinking of another time and place in ye olde Prussia from whence they came.
Trump doesnt "pardon himself". Otherwise we will have every crook in the country running for office to be in Trump's "law-free zone".
3
If he becomes a tyrant, then we should overthrow him as we did the king.
5
Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini and Nero would agree wholeheartedly with Elmer Fudd’s human persona. The American people who truly love their country but unwittingly support this cartoon cutout should at least wake up long enough to see this overture for increased power as a declarative sign of unbridled and unchecked power. Like any garden variety worthless and hapless South American strongman trying to squeeze the diminishing resources of a starving country to fed an unquenchable thirst of a bottomless ego, the United States has proven its highest elected office is every bit as susceptible to being used against “we the people.”
2
Anyone have any more doubts of Trump's guilt in committing obstruction or collusion or treason or money laundering or ___________ (fill in the blank with a crime of your choice)?
4
From James Madison's account of "The Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787", June 2, Doctor Franklin speaks as he was known then, "I am apprehensive therefore, perhaps too, apprehensive, that the Government of these States, may in future times, end in a Monarchy. But this Catastrophe I think may be long delayed, if in our proposed System we do not sow seeds of contention, faction and tumult, by making posts of honor, places of profit." Are we Doc. Franklin's future time? Consider 45's keeping his taxes hidden from public view, foreign policy made to the benefit of his daughter's business, the emoluments garnered from foreign visitors to his properties, and his and his cabinet's travels. Have we sown the seeds of contention, faction and tumult, and made posts of honor, places of profit?
1
I think he likes the sound of "Hail to the King." He'll be King Donald I. Or is it Emperor?
When is this horror story going to end? DOOMED.
2
The chilling parallel to Hitler's rise to power was that the average, non-Nazi German believed their democracy had enough checks and balances until it was too late. Once again, people who believe in democracy show little resolve while the pwoer-hungry subvert the legal and legislative branches, buying their tacit approval with promises of keeping them in power. I don't recall any period in American history, Nixon-era or otherwise, where one person has tried to take full power so completely. Just follow the steps of other dicatators around the world, like Putin who skirted term limits by getting a puppet president elected, or President Xi of China who simply got rid of term limits altogether. By the time they actually carried out their schemes, it was game over for those who cry out for democracy.
6
"Embrace A Vision of Vast Executive Power"?! No: "Assert that Trump is Above the Law". Don't sugarcoat this, NYT. It's our democracy that's going down the toilet. Do your job.
6
Just as not being honest and responsible enough to use the word "lie" subverts the truth.
1
Seriously? This publication has the gall to complain about the Presidents tweets yet was silent when the past administration ran guns to Mexico, used the IRS to hinder political opposition, issued executive decree's to grant ersatz immunity to hundreds of thousands of people who broke U.S. federal law and used the government intelligence and law enforcement apparatus to spy on and smear political opposition, yet this is what they wring their hands over?
1
Guess you missed all the stories in the past when they covered those stories. Factually. Like, with things that could be verified and validated.
I would love to see five million people carrying pitchforks and torches descend on Congress and pitch the bums into the Potomac.
1
No one voted for King Trump.
3
Amazing that everyone seems to think Mueller is going to save the day and vanquish this egocentric maniac from our midst.
The Prez is just the icing on the Republican-dumb cake that is Washington these days. Put Rudy and Donald on a slow leaking boat to China - VOTE wherever you live for worthy opponents to these Republican clowns laughing to our faces.
5
I'd love to see Trump pardon himself and all his corrupt henchmen/women of crimes committed in this pathetic excuse for a presidential administration.
Millions of Americans will take the White House and the Capitol apart brick by brick. And then we'll rebuild it so that this doesn't happen again. Until the next time...
"We won't be fooled again!" Pete Townshend knew it 50 years ago.
1
Wow, Nixon should have pardoned himself! Who knew?
4
Can you imagine Obama talking about an absolute Constitutional right to pardon HIMSELF?
Once you've imagined that, the current rot in Washington stands out in stark relief. Trump just ripens the rot and makes it more pungent!
2
I’d say this article was written by The Onion, if another person were President. It’s a joke for a President to claim the right to “self-pardon.” But Donald Trump as President is a joke in and of itself. I’m sure a 3rd-grader would realize if someone says he can absolve himself of a crime, there is a good chance he’s committed one. I seem to remember it was a child who called out to the crowd, “The Emperor wears no clothes!” Maybe we could get one of the children lost by the INS, to stand before Congress and say, “Donald Trump is a bad President. He needs to go.”
3
Trump plays the left wing media like a fiddle. [A]nd remarkably he does it almost daily.
1
Just another step on his plan to be a dictator.
4
So past presidents, faced with the possibility of impeachment, should’ve just pardoned themselves.
By Trump’s logic, he can go murder his enemies, then pardon himself, and continue on as though nothing was wrong. Terrific recipe for democracy.
2
He never said anything about democracy. It's just all about him.
1
I originally thought that trump and his posse, along with the republicans in congress, were trying to move the country back to 1950. Now it's clear they want 1750.
2
Hmmmm, that's funny... It's been about a year and a half since I heard any "conservative" Americans prattle about the Second Amendment solutions to tyranny. I wonder what changed?
4
Just as we think we have touched the bottom of the barrel. Donald “Christ” shows us how much more unhinged he can become.
2
Trump and his team embrace nothing less than a Dictatorship.
2
You have been trolled by Trump...
Too bad the President does that, but he does.
2
Indicators are that Trump has managed to turn somebody within the Mueller inquiry or high up in the justice department....Sessions, Rosenstein. Right before the Manafort witness tampering charges Trump tweeted how he barely knew Manafort. Is that a coincidence? I think not.
I would say by fair means or foul but Trump only knows foul. The number of traitors out there willing to sell our country out is simply stunning to me. That includes you Sarah Sanders.
3
Trump continues to push his power. Self pardon means he can commit any crime with no accountability. Trump attacks the news media; FBI; DOJ; anyone who disagrees with him. It is time to stand up to Trump before our Democracy is gone. Ray Sipe
3
I can see it now-
The GOP will use the same lines for DJT when he is gone (before his term ends) as DJT uses for his castaways like Papadopolous, Manafort, etc
“He was not here long”....
“He did not play a big role in the campaign/ party”.....
It will be interesting to see what putin has in mind for DJT once he is no longer of any value to the kremlin.
1
Obama created DACA by creating Executive Powers.
Obama was the first President to have Executive orders issued? That is the most easily disproven assertion I have seen. Theodore Roosevelt used executive orders to establish national monuments. Thomas Jefferson made the Louisiana Purchase on his own. Where did you get that idea?
1
Two reasons why Republican Congress allows this to continue:
1. They're remaining silent because they know they can be demonstrably tied to the Russian element;
2. They're biding their time while Trump does their despicable dirty work knowing he will ultimately hang himself through his own audacious stupidity.
Paul Ryan is already running for the exit, McConnell will buy his way out when the curtain drops, and the rest of them are too drunk with power to care what happens to them or their country.
Don't fool yourselves, Republicans finds Trump as repulsive as we do, and the deplorables who vote for them and Trump are simply too ignorant (id est, uneducated) to realize the lies they've been fed.
And that points to the solution to all of this: educate your citizens and raise them to be critical, enlightened thinkers. It isn't impossible.
1
He's been doing it all his life why stop now?
All this and not a peep from the GOP. They are equally responsible for this growing mess. Please, PLEASE PLEASE VOTE!!!!!
5
This guy needs to go. The sooner the better!
4
How is Trump's view of the Presidency so much different than Obama's view of the Presidency. Of course, Obama was much more subtle and nuanced about his exercise of presidential authority, but I'm not so sure Obama saw much limit on his executive powers, including the power to interfere with, or direct, FBI and Department of Justice investigations and prosecutions.
1
Obama is a Constitutional law scholar, and as such I cannot imagine Obama ever coming close to the power, unmitigated reach through the Cabinet, Trump wields. When Obama took the oath ("to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution"), I believed him. Not for a minute did I think Trump could ever be this bad.
1
President Obama NEVER thought he was above the law. He may have pushed executive power too far, I agree for some of those moves. Obama also didn't seek to hire his family, send money to his properties, lie 7 times a day consistently, take his 'base' for granted, etc. etc. etc.
1
Perhaps the time is near at hand to replace the inscription on the Statue of Liberty with one from Dante: “All hope abandon, ye who enter here.”
2
I'm surprised the fake president's company hasn't asked for bids to melt down the Statue of Liberty, and Zinke isn't already in discussions to "rebrand" the island as part of a newly "privatized" part of the federal lands. And the no bid contract for management of said property goes to..........
1
We have had good presidents and bad presidents. Only two have been irredeemably evil: Nixon and this one.
5
It’s worse than “vast executive power; Trump and his minions are after nothing less than dictatorship.
4
Please Remove Trump and Pence.
It is our duty to remove these authoritarian, dictators who are try's not to take over our country. Trump is going to be removed in handcuffs, soon for his blatant disregard for our democratic rule of law in this country.
Seriously, it is getting to the hour when the people may have to step in here and remove this unlawful person who is trying to install himself as unchecked ruler. Yes in 14 months he was worn down the American people. He has overstepped his bounds; now we must remove him from office before he totally destroys our country. Rise up, fellow countrymen. Rise up, and bring order and reason back to our government. Remove Trump and Pence from office immediately. Keep them from destroying our rule of Laws.
2
If it would be true what the layers have written, than canceling the next presidential election by a president himself, because of his Phantasie Power, wouldn’t be that surprising! And imagine the president calls his son as his successor because he thinks he is above law. What a knew world with new opportunities for at least Family Trump!
1
Can you believe it...we have elected the most unethical, immoral, crooked rogue to the highest office in the United States of America. This will probably be the greatest test this country will ever go through to see if it can survive. Are we strong enough to withstand this man's chipping away at our democracy?
4
This only reinforces the notion there is a media bias against conservatives. A lot of speculation and unfounded statements presented as fact. Bad journalism. Every assumption is negative. That exposes a pattern of deceit.
1
Authoritarian run amok. Perhaps when he proclaims "Off with their heads" to his adversaries, Congress might actually get a little concerned.
2
We had better stop this RIGHT NOW.
Is it already too late for Republicans to grow a spine, to realize their monster will get to all of us, not just the liberals?
2
The american people need to HOUND Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell to do the job they are constitutionally bound to do....
Implement CHECKS on this out-of-control President.
6
Just get these pinheads on tape and on the record.
It will make it that much easier to refute the GOP's anguish and horror when they accuse a Democratic President doing the same things.
2
So if Nancy Pelosi becomes Speaker, she could do away with Trump and Pence and pardon herself. Absurd.
What does the due process clause mean if there's an exception for one man, the President, to act as the judge in his own proceeding?
3
"Vast executive power" sounds very much like a dictatorship!
Concern over a pardon is the worry of a guilty man!
1
Born on the proverbial "third base," and going into the real estate development biz with a gift from his father in the millions of dollars, Donald J. Trump has never had to answer to anyone, simply his own urges for self-enrichment.
In the most recent edition of The Atlantic, CBS correspondent John Dickerson describes for us how the presidency itself has awkwardly transitioned from a post of very limited power, as outlined by our Founders before the revolution began, to an ever-expanding executive role desperately in need of adult supervision.
And it is this "adult supervision" that is missing in action in the Trump White House and the Trump-era Congress controlled by lapdogs disguised as Republicans. It has been written, by journalists and the readers of the NYTimes that, had Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama committed any of the offenses committed by Trump and his cronies, the impeachment would have lasted just long enough to finish the first round of lattes before casting the unforgiveable president to the lions.
Instead, as with Rep. McCarthy, the GOP lapdogs continue to grovel and lick Trump's hand while begging for a kind word or even a political favor. Trump has, essentially, become the Godfather of the Republican Party. His sycophants and fixers have transmogrified into lizard-brained swamp monster who cower at the mere sight of Trump's tweets.
The shameful GOP needs another Howard Baker to clean up what used to be the Party of Lincoln.
1
If this were coming out of the mouth of Darth, sorry, Dick Cheney, I would be seriously concerned.
But, while he definitely has a knack for finding the weak link in any law, i have hope that the President's lawyers have more integrity than John Yoo and cannot find it within themselves to support a person loaded down with this much buffoonery.
1
"hope that the President's lawyers have more integrity.."
Wait, Battlelion, you just said they were lawyers.
1
Excuse me while I go vote right now...like my life depended on it.
6
Trump has aspirations of being a dictator and if the Republican Congress doesn’t do something to stop him he will succeed and their party will evaporate.
1
Very suspicious timing, at the time Manafort is accused of witness tampering, the presidential self-pardoning issue dominates the news.
The self-pardoning issue could have waited until after the NK summit.
While our president would like to declare himself omnipotent, the facts, the law, and the U.S. Constitution are not on his side. In no way shape or form is ANYONE including the president allowed to be their own judge and jury in the United States of America.
3
Ah, the emperor still wants us to believe he has clothes on. VOTE PEOPLE, VOTE...it's the only way out of this morass.
4
And where, exactly are all those in Congress who pushed back on every single thing President Obama did, calling it "overreach", even going so far as to have the US House of Representatives sue Obama?
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/31/us/politics/house-votes-along-party-l...
Now, these same "leaders" show themselves to only be weak cowardly sycophants for trump.
6
It is useless to keep going on and on denouncing Trump if we don't vote him out of office or otherwise remove him.
It is useless to unmask his dictatorial grabs of power if we don't take action to change the decline of our democracy.
It is useless to ridicule the Congress for being the servile, greedy cowards they are, guilty and corrupt as Trump himself. We need to fire them.
It is useless to print editorials that waste ink, unless we write actionable plans to make for change.
It is useless to talk, vent and emote all over the screen, unless you're a media owner getting rich on the circus.
It is useless for the venerable and respected Mr. Robert Mueller to want to be perfect, when good would be good enough. He will run out of time. His report will be buried.
Mr. Mueller is failing to recognize this moment as the Emergency Room situation it is for the country. He needs to come out NOW with whatever he's got on Trump already.
Perfect will only get Mr. Mueller and his team fired. His report will end up pushed aside. He has enough now to come out swinging. Trump throws the first punch every time.
The thugs in office are a wrecking ball flouting law and institutions. Autocracy is not the rule of law. The law is now in the hands of sold-out wimps.
oz.
2
If the president is above the law, then the support of only 118 people would be needed to keep a violent dictator in the White House. Think about that for a minute. A president could rape and murder at will yet suffer no threat of arrest as long as he has 118 supporters in the House. If those offenses were to occur on federal property, such as the White House, then the president could also simply pardon himself just before leaving office then walk out of the WH grounds and go about his day as if nothing ever happened. Extreme? Sure, and highly unlikely, but it's possible if the president's lawyers are correct.
1
This man creates chaos everywhere he goes. Always has and always will. And he loves it. Just think about all the money spent since he was illegally elected. Think of the damage he has done. Why haven't more tell-all books been written about him? Because he will willingly bankrupt anyone who dares try telling the truth about him. He is a sorry excuse for a human being and so are his children. How is it possible that they are making millions off him being in office? It is unjust and so upsetting that after a while I just don't want to hear any more. But that is the terrible danger--that everyone will simply tune out and allow him to have his way just to get rid of him--like you would a spoiled child who constantly interrupts and cries and whines...just give him what he wants to shut him up so you can have some peace. Please let's not make the mistake of doing that!
3
This just proves again that the "new GOP" would love nothing more than an evangelical police state, run by the likes of Trump, Pence, Ryan, McCarthy, Stephen Miller, and on and on down through the endless parade of fascists. These people could not care less about the Constitution, personal liberty, or the rule of law.
It's one massive, gigantic, planet-sized pack of lies designed to sucker the working-class base into believing that they can create a pure, anti-intellectual, ChristianWhite society.
Forget impeachment, people. It will never happen because the Dems will never have the two-thirds needed in the Senate to convict him.
Nope, there's only ONE WAY to kill this movement. Win in November and 2020, or this country is done, period.
4
Can't really say they 'share' anything because this guy, as a manager, does not want anyone capable of making up his own mind. He just wants toadies and yes-men.
(Funny to think of them, bowing snd scraping on their way out of the Oval, then figuring how much they can sell him for, and if that will get them a card out. You know it's true.)
1
I'd like to see our former presidents - both R and D - weigh in collectively on these issues of power and authority of the president. We need voices of authority to help lead during these strange times. It's unnerving.
1
Don’t you have to plead guilty to receive a pardon? Isn’t that the trade-off?
2
85 years ago another man and his team embraced a vision of vast executive powers.
The passage of the Enabling Act of 1933 gave that man absolute, complete power.
Initially he had to be convincing that Germany's religious life would be secure.
He feverishly went after his political opposition. And violated his promises. He ruled by decree and executive order.
Middle class people were quickly indoctrinated the country needed a strong government.
Many were angry and bitter and didn't want to pay reparations to other nations after the first world war.
They hated treaties and demanded he overturn The Treaty of Versailles.
His speaking powers won people over. He held rallies in beer halls. And acted as if he was making a great sacrifice to do all this for them.
The wealthy and the industrialists gave him money and power. Each time he destroyed his opponents and got the public to view him favorably.
The rest is history.
6
Well said.
Madeleine Albright’s “Fascism: A Warning” spells out this threat and should be required Warning to all of us.
The very worst thing about Mr. Trump's megalomania is that he has a megalomaniacal following that might take to the streets to defend him. They take his every word as gospel, no matter how self-contradictory, irrational, or inflammatory it might be. The situation is potentially quite volatile
3
Should that extreme hypothetical situation come to pass (and it sounds more like a white supremacist comic book, than an actual possibility) that "group" would be met with an overwhelming opposition. First line of defense: OUR LEOs.
1
Reading this article juxtaposed with the news about Manafort (still living in his mansion with his delicate ankle bracelet), I am stunned by the amazing hubris and arrogance of these men.
I cannot help but think that they represent the ultimate in White Male Privilege in this country.
And Giuliani jabbering away in the background about how Trump can commit murder without being held accountable. How much lower can the GOP go? Is there a bottom to it?
And can you imagine how different it would be if Trump or Manafort were Hispanic or black and not insulated by extreme wealth and privilege?
2
Dear Mother of God!
This story is on par with the speculation that the First Lady has not been in seen public is due to physically abused by the President.
In theory President Trump as the chief law enforcer could pardon himself for any crime. Will he do it? NO! Congress will see that whatever crime committed is prosecuted.
All the first page stories are against President Trump. Not even one single solitary story about the good job the President is doing in foreign affairs and the economy.
Oh, and by-the-way, the Supreme Court decided in favor of religious freedoms and castigated the Colorado Civil Rights Commission’s treatment of the defendant.
"the good job the President is doing in foreign affairs and the economy. "
1. Foreign affairs. Withdrawing from the Paris agreement broke our word. Withdrawing from the Iran agreement broke our word. That is NOT "doing a good job". Instituting tariffs on countries that were our friends (Germany, France, Canada, Mexico), and thus infuriating them, is not "doing a good job". Working to save jobs in CHINA, is not "doing a good job".
2. The economy. How much are you paying for gas today versus the January, 2017? Also, see #1, and you might realize you'll soon be paying much more for everything, as a result.
Wake up.
3
Obama handed off a great economy to Trump/\.
Foreign affairs have never been worse.
Trump has turned on our closest allies. We are shunned by the world.
2
Never the less, 87% of Republicans still support Trump.
What's wrong with this picture?
3
Only that it's not set in the context of the rest of the country: that group of people is a distinct MINORITY of Americans, to include the voting majority that did NOT vote for this fake president.
1
However extreme his lawyers’ interpretations of the law of obstruction vis a vis the executive may be, I’m sure they pale in comparison to the version that exists in the one-dimensional, single-focus mind of Trump himself. When Rudy Giuliani averred that Trump could shoot Robert Mueller and still not be guilty of obstruction of justice, I became certain that very scenario has been entertained in the fantasies of Donald Trump, ending with his striding manfully away with a confident little smirk, blowing smoke from the barrel of his gun.
The man in the White House lives daily in a world that no one has ever visited except the few gullibles who are persuaded of the absurd idea that there is something besides insult and abandonment to be gained from being a Trump hanger-on.
I found the following quote by one of these gullibles, Marc Kasowitz, particularly laughable: “...while there are various political checks and balances that would inform the president’s exercise of this authority as a prudential matter, and various norms have developed over the years as a result of those checks and balances, none of these diminish the president’s ultimate constitutional authority over investigations and prosecutions.” To select the word “prudential” to use in any context in connection with Trump or his administration or to suggest that prudence is a quality that he would be capable of comprehending, much less be able to call on or utilize, is completely delusional.
2
Donald Trump and his hand-picked attorneys clearly never attended any of professor Barack Obama's lectures on Constitutional law.
I have given up writing my Senators (McCain and Flake). All Talk and No Action makes them dull boys.
2
When Nixon said it ("Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal."), the American people were shocked and outraged. Now Trump supporters blindly applaud. This truly is 'worse than Watergate' because so many of my fellow citizens appear to be ready for the dictator.
2
Do you folks see how Campaign Finance is center to the whole thing? Now that we have Citizens United, our government does not work. Our Congress does not provide checks and balances on the Executive Branch, since they are bought by the same donors. Time to take to the streets of Washington DC to focus on change of ONLY this one issue- Campaign Finance Reform.
1
The Constitution is silent on the question of whether a president can pardon himself. This omission is the basis of Trump's claim that he can, indeed, pardon himself. Lawyers may differ. The Constitution is likewise silent on the question of whether the president can fly. "Liberal" physicists may differ, but I would reserve judgment until Trump tries it, preferably from a great height.
Conspiracy theories used to be funny but now I find myself fully willing to accept that the that one reason the Republican Party is so willing to advance Trump is that they too, receive funding from Russia. Money trumps all.
What has broken my heart is the number of our fellow citizens who don't seem to care. As long as the gladiatorial games continue and we debase ourselves to a level never seen before.
There was no obstruction of justice committed by the President. The special council was formed based on a fake, premeditated attempt to bring down a President. It's so obvious to anyone with common sense. President Trump believes in the importance of following the Constitution. He's just wants justice not absolute power. They have the right to defend themselves.
On July 4 all civic minded/civil citizens of this country should take to the streets in a peaceful demonstration that reminds Congress that "NO ONE is Above the Law" and their obligation is to put "Country Before Party".
Is there an organization out there willing to lead the effort?
Looks like we allowed a president to be elected who believes he did not take office in service to, but that he took office in power over, the United States of America. Tricky how democracy works when you're not paying attention.
Make sure to lock him up once his term is finished.
If America is to prevent a second Trump, we should make sure the first Trump is locked up and force him to pay the price for destroying American democracy.
Trying to change the constitutional framework for the president, putting the president above the law, shows the Angst of Trump and his coterie. They think they might go to jail.
This is a strong indicator that the special prosecutor is on the right trail.
We need a constitutional amendment clearly stating that the president can't pardon himself or potential witnesses against himself. Surely this would not be controversial?
History, Government, and Economics teacher who's voted Republican in the past: Mr. Trump, I'd love to see you try and pardon yourself. You are not above the law. While the constitution does not explicitly state that you are unable to pardon yourself, the founders never thought we'd ever elect such a person of low character. Everybody else, just remain calm and focus on issues during the midterms and 2020. The only way he stays in office is if the left focuses on identity politics and impeachment.
If Mr. Mueller succeeds with his inquiry, we should reward him by encouraging him to run for president so we can clean all the houses. He is the only man with principles and a strong sense of ethics who could put an end to our sustained anxiety.
When Mueller said that the President was not being investigated, it freed the President from conflict of interest and so the President can fire Mueller. After all Mueller works for the President and must manage the budget too.
I think it's time for McConnell to realize this guy is a danger to the country and ACT, for God's sake. How much more proof does he need before he realizes the DJT will do ANYTHING to avoid being brought to justice??
2
To support Trump is to support turning the United States into a dictatorship like Russia and China. If people do not live the constitution it is just symbols on paper. We must live the constitution and we are not.
The last President to claim 'vast and terrible powers' was Abraham Lincoln. Of course the President who actually expanded Presidential power beyond all prior recognition was Franklin Roosevelt.
When we speak of voting out Trump we need to realize we may not have the option.
1
I just read the lawyer’s 20 page letter to investigator Mueller. It is very well written and the points in the law are well expressed. They are accurate in my opinion.
The scurrilous claims and hate hate from posters here are reminiscent of Molotov cocktail hurlers in Berkeley or Yippie mobs in Chicago. All chanting a mantra of hate for the President.
I see the President’s lawyers and Trump himself prevailing with no violations found by investigators.
A real mob here.
Having said this Trump will now feel obligated to find the limits. I believe he will because it is in his nature to rule, to bully, to boast and preen. So he will challenge the Supreme Court's wisdom. It is possible that Congress may yet find the courage to hog-tie this man from the bottom-of-the-barrel of all our Presidents, and I say this fully understanding the low bars set by James Buchanan and Andrew Johnson.
The behavior of Republican members of Congress (silence, inaction) in the context of Trump's despotic tendencies SHOULD be providing a very powerful argument to voters to vote for Democrat candidates for Congress this fall. Checks and balances won't work if Congress won't do its part. Democrats need to figure out how to make the message persuasive. I would be the last one to claim there was no corruption or cowardice on the Dem side of the line, but it is due to the corruption and cowardice of Republicans that one can say that this fall, one must vote Democrat to save our democracy. Not a pretty picture.
So, while not yet waist deep, we are now knee-deep into a constitutional crisis. If Congress ignores this, the burden falls on us to vote them out. The waters are rising.
Trump shows us that everything we learned about the Constitution is a hoax. There are no checks and balances. The appearance of the rule of law was based on norms and ethics which are clearly disposable for Trump, his base, and most members of Congress. Who would have thought that American democracy was so fragile?
I think that the King fearing Founding Fathers are turning over in their graves. However, at the moment this is a battle about nothing, only rhetoric.
The president fancies himself a king and the supposed co-equal Legislative branch is OK with it. That leaves SCOTUS as our last hope, but its rulings only matter if they're respected and carried out.
If you believe that will stop him, just remember what Trump's hero, Andrew Jackson, said when the SCOTUS ruled against him in Worcester v. Georgia:
“John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it.”
I just read through Art II of the Constitution...the powers given to the Executive are broad and vague...at least to my untrained eye.
Again, the problem isn't so much that Trump thinks he's the king of America, the problem is that ~40% of voters, a little over half of Congress, and 5/9ths of the Supreme Court also think that he's King Donald.
So now he's Donald the Infallible. Someone needs to remind him he was elected President, not Pope.
These last 500 days, Trump has proven himself to be a leader whose manner of governing is a danger to our democracy. His desire for the executive branch to have unlimited and unbridled power along with his many lies, attacks against the free press and his own Department of Justice, proves this.
If this president fails to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of these United States, then we have only congress to rely on. Therefore, congress can no longer afford be partisan but must unite, as one body to preserve our democracy for our future and the future of those who come after us.
The sad irony of this situation is that when Trump finally forces his own impeachment with some outlandish action, it will probably be Republicans that start the push for his impeachment. Not because they are honorable, but because they are politically smarter than our spineless Democrats. And after years of treacherous complicity, the GOP will snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, while Democrats (predictably) do the opposite.
Obstructing an investigation into (proven) foreign interference of an election is a direct abrogation of the oath to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution".
Any/All actions (pardons, firings, etc.) that occur in pursuit of this obstruction are (by definition) void!
The fact that Trump believes that he is above the law is by itself an impeachable article. Trump declares that the investigation by Mueller is unconstitutional? There are several unconstitutional things going on here and none of them are related to the Mueller investigation.
The US is becoming, under this administration and this Republican controlled (I am not using the term lead because there is no leadership exhibited by the Republicans) congress, the biggest banana republic in the world. We are deriding Venezuela and its government but our government is no better.
Unfortunately, the Republicans in congress are all extremely quiet, albeit enabling the man in the WH to do as he pleases.
Neither his lawyers nor the Republicans have any decency or the dignity to try to control him, and he is behaving like an emperor or even a dictator.
The constitution apparently is not very clear as to what powers he wields and that he is not above the law. Perhaps it is about time the constitution be amended such that there is no doubt that no one is above the law, and that includes the president, or in this case the emperor.
Time to vote the Republicans out of power.
George Will had it right when he said that Pence is worse.
Trump is what he is, whereas Pence is choosing what he is.
Nixon at his worse could not have have been this bad. I'm not a student of presidential history, but has there been anyone like this before? It will be all the sweeter when Marine One lifts off to take him to Leavenworth...
The threat to democracy in the US is not that President Trump claims he is “absolutely” above the law, it is that 85% of Republican voters and all remaining Republicans in Congress still support this man. Republicans have betrayed their oaths to uphold the Constitution.
1
Trump and team would be embrace a much more narrow view of executive powers if HRC were in office.
1
If the democrats don’t take back either the House and / or the Senate we are doomed. Republicans have shown they will protect Trump no matter what. The only Republicans who speak out are those who are retiring. I have no idea how Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell sleep at night.
1
President Trump and his attorney's vision is of the vast power of a supreme leader not an elected executive who presides (sits in front of not over) our country. The writers of the Constitution did not mention a president pardoning himself because they didn't imagine we could elect someone who has no common sense.
Have no doubts, if he's not impeached it's a coup d'état. That's a last stand for our cherished democracy, our experiment in a government of the people for the people.
2
Perhaps I have missed something, but wasn't there a revolution in 1776 to throw off the tyranny of monarchical rule...?
1
The Constitution states that the President "...shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment."
One would assume that if the President is being investigated for impeachable offenses, he cannot pardon himself.
At this point, I've read the Constitution so many times, I'm certain that only the Supreme and Appellate courts are in touch with it.
The Legislative branch has forgotten that they must vote on and pass any measures Trump proposes.
For instance, they voted for the Iran Nuclear Accord, but Trump summarily, and unconstitutionally, pulled the U.S. out of it. Legislature! Bone up on the law.
The Republicans flaccidly let Trump do as he wishes. The Democrats' voice, if it's there, is drowned out by the ever present,
nonsensical yet dangerous, diversion of Trump tweets.
Trump cannot command his Cabinet members, which includes the AG. He can only ask for, and receive, their advice "in writing".
Trump can command the military, appoint judges and diplomats. All other duties must be with the advice and consent of Congress.
Maybe voters have never read the Constitution, because almost half the U.S. likes Trump, despite his not following the Constitution, breaking laws, alienating our allies, playing off the lingering dislike in America of "not white"people, and decimating healthcare.
We're watching a reality series called, "Real Politicians of D.C."-- it's depressing.
Just thinking, according to Rudy's logic that Trump could kill Comey and not be prosecuted, then what about mass murder? Let's say Trump killed six million people (just to choose an arbitrary number), would that be prosecutable or non-prosecutable? At what number would Rudy and Trump draw the line? I guess ten thousand might be OK, a fairly reasonable number of people for Mr. Trump to kill, I'm sure he would have his national security reasons, but perhaps not more than that. Of course, as Rudy clarified today, this is all just hypothetical, theoretical, virtual... no, it can't happen here!
2
Self -pardon? - Trump said before when asked about 'praying' that he never asked for forgiveness or pardon, just moved on. Maybe he is capable of the act the inimitable Scaramucci accused Mr. Bannon of as well.
I can imagine a full-on news conference by our president is a non-starter, no-chance venture. The entertainment value would break all known records, I am so sure.
Can America rely on the four Republicans who gutted campaign finance laws and gutted the voting rights act ( joined by Gorsuch, the new Scalia) to stop Trump's efforts to install himself as America's "President for Life"?
The Mueller investigation should by all accounts show we are a nation of laws and a sitting president is not exempt. The man challenging this rule of law requires, that he suffer a most disgraceful defeat. If that does not happen, it becomes time to close up shop and call it quits on democracy.
We are watching tyranny in real-time. Trump will eventually be gone, but there will still be millions of Americans who have chosen to live in a dictatorship.
the subtext is that he's guilty, but that doesn't matter
i fail to understand why a president who has been proven guilty of committing a crime cannot be indicted. it is somehow better for the country to be led by a criminal than to end his term and send him to prison??
if trump is found to have committed crimes then he should take up residence in another federal (or state or local) home - called a penitentiary - rather than the white house
Let us NOT forget that presidents have exercised their power to order the extrajudicial killing of American citizens and this and other frightening powers now rest in the hands of the so-called president.
"I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters."
Donald J. Trump
Republican Candidate for President of the United States of America
Then, I could pardon myself.
Donald J. Trump
45th President of the United States of America.
3
Nice ... good thought ... truth be told
You had better get out to vote ... every opportunity, like it's your last
President Trump is right we believe and its not because we are a kingdom in search of absolute power. Our policy is to share middle east oil. U.S. President Trump is correct on this issue we feel otherwise the U.S. president could be involved in constant court dealings and could be subject to being locked up by a lawyer judge even one a member of another political party. It would also be violation of U.S. different powers of government one is the Executive Branch and the other is the Judicial branch.
1
Republicans were willing to support this man for President, as long as he appointed the conservative judges that they wanted. But the President has declared himself above the law. Which means that he's above the entire judicial system...including all these judges.
Is this really what Republicans bargained for ?
33
Yes, it is precisely what the GOP wanted. The rule of law doesn’t matter to Trump, nor does it matter to the GOP as long as the judges rule in favor of corporations and those who discriminate based on their religious beliefs (ie - the Colorado baker). This is what the GOP bargained for and this is what they got.
Ridiculous arguments from Mr. T and his team. The FOUNDING FATHERS created the country to ESCAPE and get away from a King and instead initiate a Gov't of, by, for the People. NO KING. Therefore they would never have created, in the constitution or elsewhere, the presidential power of a king. Period.
Sit Down Trump, you and your minions; Stop the stupid arguments.
The FF's can't be called wrong by some 21st century idiots.
18
Now you know why Trump has had such admiring comments about dictators like Dutarte, Putin, et al. He wants to join their club. The fact that the GOP has nothing to say about these astonishing anti-democratic comments only underscores their corruption.
Are we a nation of laws, or not? Step up, Congress!
30
Even his most sycophantic republican apologists should understand the implications of an Imperial Trump "presidency." Time for the missing-in-action repubs to crawl out from under their rocks and re-assert their constitutional congressional power!
28
Just what are we waiting for? He has got to go.
25
LOW, the king approaches. Sorry, Looney Tunes. Bugs Bunny with the queen is one of my all-time favorites (Sir Loin of Beef!). And yes, I know the real word is "lo," but I emphasize LOW on purpose. Trump already believes he is king. However, we do not have a king, nor do we have a president. We have a man with serious mental problems in the White House. The fraud perpetrated by the GOP in allowing this man to be their representative is the epitome of hypocrisy. The GOP seems to live at that high point, somehow maintaining their balance while Trump desecrates our country, our constitution and our laws. He must go.
11
How to stop a despot? Don't vote Republican! They don't have the guts to stand up to him, so why put them back in office. That'll stop him, and send a message to the Republican party to straighten up.
17
I am continually baffled by how the media insist on ascribing some kind of coherent philosophy to the Trump administration. It does not exist. There's no "vision" involved in cancelling and uncancelling the North-Korea summit, scrapping the Iran nuclear deal, deporting Americans, or starting a trade war with our allies. There is no "vision" of anything. Trump does what he wants, his cronies scramble to justify it, and then you guys expound on the philosophical, diplomatic and legal ramifications. Just stop.
18
Yes, but 2+2=5 doesn't it? This man (POTUS) is our enemy. He wants to change our democracy, or what is pitifully left of it, into an autocracy, and he wants to be declared president for life. He is the reincarnation of every evil autocrat who ever lived. In fact, I would call him the epitome of evil.
The problem is that we are letting him get away with it! When does the great ROAR from some authority in congress, for instance, come to defend our rights? The founders really should have anticipated this, but then again, they failed to anticipate the second amendment's flaws, too. I suppose they weren't perfect; they couldn't see the future. The future is here however, and we have to deal with it and make things right. Californians, you vote today. Don't forget.
21
Day by day in every way the Special Council is getting
closer and closer.
9
In the America that I believe in, no one is above the law.
7
What about the Clintons? Are they not Americans?
1
Trump is going to pardon himself (and his friends) preemptively and then pull the plug on the investigation to short-circuit any hard evidence from coming out.
Congressional Republicans won't impeach since Republican voters will love seeing infuriated Democrats.
The American public will have to wait years for the situation to play out in the Supreme Court.
This is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.
12
The idea that an accused criminal can pardon himself is wonderfully absurd and thus fits the absurdity of someone like Trump as president of the United States , an event beyond the imagining of the best absurdist playwrights.
5
If someone put these events into a play, most people would laughed it off as absurd and impossible.
Trump has no restraints whatsoever, be it women, business dealings or in power and politics.
However, these pardon claims by Team Trump is revealing of what to expect from Mueller investigations. Hopefully Trump and the rest of the world learn that rule of law is alive and well in the US. At steak is Trump vs. what America is and stands for constitutionally, by tradition and values. Trump getting punished or not is not important considering what America as whole can preserve or lose as a result.
1
The United States of America is NOT some dictatorship ruled by a megalomaniac narcissist despot, like Trump Enterprises has been managed for the past 30 years. The assertions of POTUS' legal team are absurd and insulting. They proffer, in effect, POTUS can choose which laws apply to his conduct and which ones he opts to ignore. And if this behavior is taken to the extreme, ordinary American citizens can assert that privilege as well to decide whether they will obey laws, citing POTUS as the par example.
No citizen is ABOVE the law. Period.
Feckless Republicans refuse to truly stand upon principle over partisanship. Their conduct and cowardice when the situation demands courage is inexcusable and if these people NEVER find a place to call their legislative home ever again, I will be the first one shove them off the American experiment in representative democratic government. Good bye, good riddance.
7
Time for another revolution (civil war?) if this guy gets voted in again. No way a country that divided can remain stable.
10
Like it or not, the President does have very broad authority over federal law enforcement powers. And that power is given to the President via the constitution.
To the extent the article takes issues with increased overreaching by executives (i.e. the President, governors in the form of executive orders, agency expansion), I would agree. But you need to blame democrats as much as republicans for that overreach.
4
Clearly WE THE PEOPLE must elect Socially Conscious Women and Men and DEMAND that they strip "exclusive" power from any president.
The Con Don and his Robber Baron brethren think they can take over the world with their "strong man" mafia tactics.
WE THE PEOPLE have news for them.
NO. Not now. Not ever again.
10
The situation with the current president shows just how fragile our democratic system is, depending as it does on precedent and interpretation, along with respect for both. Although responsible presidents do not want their hands tied in unanticipated situations by detailed laws that circumscribe their actions, perhaps its time for some specific limitations to be put on presidential powers before democracy falls apart. However, I do not have much faith that either the current Congress nor the Supreme Court will do anything other than further enable this disaster of a president.
5
It would seem the fake president has already moved to obviate any laws Congress makes to restrict his "power". He's saying HE IS the law.
When I read about the "lawyers" that defend trump I understand all the lawyer jokes. To bad they aren't taught about honor and integrity when in law school.
4
There's no money in honor nor integrity.
Best lawyer joke: 99% of lawyers make the rest of them look bad.
1
There is not much more I can add to theses comments. All I can say is shame on you Congressional Republicans for turning the other cheek while our democracy slowly burns!
4
This is no surprise. Trump's history is full of this hubris, bullying and outright criminal behavior. The difference here is that his money can not overcome the ballot box or the ultimate law of the land. Humpty Dumpty is heading for a great fall and all the supporting Republican scoundrel congressmen are going with him.
2
The complicit Republican Party in this horror-show of a government -- run by them -- will destroy them. Once this grotesque sham of a Republican government is over, I beg the press to never show their criminal faces again. Let these narcissistic criminals die in isolation and away from our sickened eyes.
6
Justice is slow. But it is sure. And it is decisive. Ask Bin Laden. Oh, wait. You can’t The #NothingBurgerKing will be eating his McDonalds, secure in his fantasy of security and supremacy, when Mueller will knock at the door. What a Happy Meal surprise.
3
As did of course Obama who used his executive powers to get his waywhen the system did not allow him free reign.
2
He issued executive orders. He never had lawyers making the argument that he could commit any act without being guilty of any crime, since he is the law.
1
When did Obama say he could pardon himself? Name all the people who worked for Obama that pled guilty that worked for his election. Name the investigations of his actions by the justice department that he threated to end. How many folks resigned from his cabinet his first year. How many hotels did Obama own to enrich himself while President? Please, I'm listening.
2
No comparison.
1
Trump Uber alles. Soon he will try to take over the world . Lock him up, now !
8
Wow. Looks like the Trumpsters elected a king - and an ignorant, self -aggrandizing, corrupt king. Republicans in Congress, self-described lovers of the Constitution, do you have anything to say?
11
Although my grandfather Arvid, who was born at the turn of the 20th Century and was skilled as a blacksmith, had only an 8th grade education, he had a way of seeing to the germ of things. He had a lot of expressions that were of his time and would be considered "quaint" these many years later. One expression he had was "This is crazy talk." The comment, that was rarely expressed, was made with a wry facial expression as he sat back in his chair, searching his mind for some rationale that could possibly justify the statement he was objecting to. This latest - crazy talk - from Trump and company certainly MUST be called out for the - crazy - it is, another emperor with no clothes moment.
Historians and everyday people like my grandfather are and will be incredulous at this latest monarchical move by Team Trump.
What calms me is that our democracy is based on - separation of powers - and brilliant legal scholars and members of Congress with a shred of moral fiber (left) have been and will be calling out this move and others, both past and future, that can only be described as a satiracal script from some dystopian play.
This is NOT who we are.
3
Where is the GOP?!
Craven cowards!—who will sell out their country for a tax break, all of them.
10
Maybe somewhat of a good thing is occurring and that is a lot of citizens of the United States are waking up to the tragedy that is occurring in our Nation: being led by a person with the initials of DJT and a Party with the initials of GOP have sold their souls to whatever enriches them personally and the hell with the country that has slowly but surely been changing its values to bend toward justice, living up to its destiny to be the beacon on the hill for equity and respect for all peoples on Earth, and all that understands the interconnected web of life. This battle for our Nation, our stated values that are intertwined in our Constitution, and how the liberty we cherish for all our citizens and residents, is PARAMOUNT to the success of our historical role as a society that will forever be held dear by all free and loving people. Our better angels must show up during this time of threat to justice for all. We've faced dictators before, they fortunately have not been here. This time we face authoritarian proponents, who continually use divisive proclamations to gain personal power and to set one American against another. It is up to all of us to ensure this does not continue. Vote, march, rally, write. We shall not loose our country to bigots who have not learned all people have worth and dignity. WE SHALL OVERCOME. And when we do, we encourage all to have true dialogues about the important issues using RESPECT as the main ingredient to preserve the hope for humankind.
4
Clearly President Trump envisions the country facing a nascent domestic emergency as result of the Witch Hunt Rebellion. How will he respond?
Trump probably won't dismiss the Congress, since congressional Republicans are his trusted front-line soldiers.
All he needs to do, then, is pardon himself, suspend the writ of habeas corpus, and activate the National Guard. I think he is prepared to move on all three the day he is subpoenaed.
I suspect he will also close the District of Columbia and move his government to Fort Knox until further notice. Those who will not pledge allegiance to his government, real journalists, and Jeff Sessions will be relocated immediately to work camps.
2
The idea of gaming the constitution to obtain royal status is apparently new kind of reality TV, which is this presidential creature's realm. If the greedy congress is now selling out to the presidential creature, which it is doing, we need change the channel, dump trump, and elect a real president and congress to serves the nation and not trumps ego!
3
It's one thing for your run-of-the-mill ultra-narcissist and sociopath to exhibit delusions of grandeur; it's a whole different kettle of fish altogether when that someone is president of the United States who has broken probably every law and every moral dictum in the books and has his attorneys read into the Constitution interpretations of vast and limitless power that match his boundless ego. You don't have to be an expert in history to see where this is heading, what with his relentless (and successful) attempts to undermine each and every institution that is a vital cornerstone of an open society and aims to bring him to justice. We're not on the verge of an irreversible decline, we are in the midst of it.
4
And here I thought the job of the president was to make sure the laws were carried out properly - not to use as a bludgeon to get one's own way. Perhaps the president can not be charged while in office (undecided) but he surely could be indicted once out of office. Sooner rather than later if Congress (via impeachment-sure) and the electorate (in the mid-terms or next presidential) have any guts.
2
There is nothing in the Constitution to prevent Trump (with the US Army at his back) from declaring martial-law and ruling for as long as he lives and feeds the soldiers...our Constitution is not unique among those countries that have fallen before.
1
so let me understand this, Trump can shoot someone in the head then pardon himself and his base will still love him? this is not America, we're living the running man movie.
3
The NYTs assault on Trump (a man I didn't vote for, don't like, and think is bad for his party) since day 1 continues. And, like the last time (2016) when they helped elect him, they might do it again. Somedays I read the headlines and think they should just make one big banner - Trumppppp! Aaaaaahhhh!.
If Obama had a lower ct. ruling he didn't like, he ignored it. The admin. predominantly actually obeyed orders almost certain to get overturned. If Obama didn't like a law, even thought it unconstitutional, he ordered it not be applied. He tried to make nice with Russia, ridiculed the idea in a presidential debate that Russia was our nemesis and praised Putin to the skies. Trump has also praised Putin, but not as much as Obama. Any interference with our 2016 election was on Obama's watch. Putin flew to meet with Obama and then Russia almost immediately entered Syria. Wish we knew what that conversation was. And, if you don't remember, he told Putin's no. 1 guy that he would be more flexible with them when the election was over. He was anti-gay marriage until it became unpopular and he was considered by many mainstream journalists to have the most anti-press admin. since Nixon. He ignored the WPA, destroying Libya, did little about ISIS, made deals with Assad and Iran that empowered them, backed Morsi. . . .
But, sure, it's Trump who seeks vast power. I wouldn't vote for either of them, but better Trump than Obama, even if he is hard to like.
3
Yes, the Grand Delusion. When getting painted into a corner, a rational person would ask, "How do I get out of this?" Instead, the megalomaniac is surrounding himself with advisors who are egging him on. Good luck, dunces of the confederacy. There is a Constitution at the end of the rainbow, not a crown.
3
Oh, man, break out the popcorn. It's getting good. I've been waiting for the full blow Constitutional crisis! Will it be a tragedy where the cravens in Congress give in yet again to their lord and master? Will it be a Perry Mason drama with eloquent exchanges in a courtroom? Or will it be an civil war action drama? This is reality TV like you've only dreamed of. Sure, that dream was actually a nightmare, but ...
3
this insane vision requires constitutional changes.
if we are going to go through the trouble it takes to change the constitution, the change we need to make is one that would allow us to void the tainted election results of 2016 so we can have another election TODAY and get a real president for the nation.
This is all very amusing, in a gut-wrenching sort of way. It does point out how gishdarned lucky you have all been all these years, though. It atkes Donald the Magnificent to bring to the fore the fact that the powers and prerogatives of the President are but vaguely cicumscribed. How odd, and unfortunate!
Of course, right to pardon or not, there is no doubt te President can definitely remove from office any and all people who serve at his pleasure, and their replacements, and théir replacements... ad infinitum. Cowed 'acting' directors are sure to be docile.
There's no amusement park on the planet that has any ride rivalling the one you have put yourselves with this guy, that's for sure.
2
Forget a constitutional crisis - We are hitting a 1st ever Congressional crisis. Where is Ryan?? What is McDonnell doing other than finding jobs with the Trump Administration? (crickets chirping)
1
The Republicans have been trying to undermine the Constitution since Nixon. Reagan evaded Congressional oversight in Iran-Contra, and since W the Congress has delayed judicial appointments to try to stack the courts. Now they have a burnable figurehead in Trump that has the chutzpah to do outright what they have been hinting at for the last 40 years. the only solution is the ballot box.
3
All of Donald Trump's legal reasoning that there is no collusion and that he can pardon anyone including himself is completely incorrect. But one thing his flunkies say is true -- only the people can remove a sitting president. That I believe, because impeachment cannot happen unless a super majority of senators vote to remove him from office. Senators and Representatives must both be convinced that the public wants the President out of office.
It is hard to imagine the current House and Senate doing so, but we have not yet seen the results of Mueller's investigation. If the public is not convinced that Trump deserves impeachment it won't happen and at this moment Trump has the support of many supporters.
Legally, Trump certainly deserves impeachment over many issues. But only the public will decide whether or not he goes.
5
"The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history." George Orwell
Trump has done this with his base and even others who no longer want to hear about the Russia investigation. He has repeatedly lied about our American history, as if he is the only one who knows the truth. He has destroyed our standing in the world, while making Putin happy.
Wake up America,because time is running out!
"Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing." George Orwell
12
I know I have no reason to be surprised, given their past behavior. Yet, I am still shocked that Republican leaders in Congress have not made any statement telling Trump that no, you do not have absolute powers. Shame on them.
The logic is so flawed my 10-year old could shoot holes through it. Is Giuliani really saying with a straight face that if Trump had shot FBI Director Comey dead in the White House, in plain sight of dozens of witnesses, he would come out unscathed because he has the right to do so as President? Completely ludicrous.
8
Hey, let's let him think he's right. Let him abuse his power even more. Then when he's not expecting it, impeach!
3
First there was Republican George W. Bush - who had an Administration hell bent on making him a new kind of “Imperial President,” a super strong Executive with the power to define Reality far beyond the norms of American, and World power.
Then there was Obama, a Democrat, who was opposed and vilified simply for winning and then occupying the Oval Office. Threats of Impeachment, Violence, and openly declared hopes of lynch mobs... just for doing the simplest parts of the job, became our eight year norm. In the end, they criminalized the fact he was “President While Black.”
Now, it’s another Republican: this time it’s a dangerously ignorant bully, narcissist, egomaniac, and pathological liar, with authoritarian tendencies, like none we have ever had. This one truly wants to own the Presidency, as King, and Profiteer-In-Chief.
We cannot allow Republicans to keep using the Presidency as a malleable piece of putty - a castrated eunuch when it’s a Democrat, Lord King and Emperor when it’s a Republican.
This is not Governance or Democracy. It’s Destructive Nihilism and Partisan Tyranny. Americans of all parties and positions need to take a stand. If we don’t stop this, we won’t have a viable government anymore. The system will need to be torn out and reassembled from the ground up: that will take Civil War or even Revolution. Do we really want to keep heading that way?
7
The big question is whether Republicans in Congress will push back against Trump's claims. So far, the response is not encouraging -- if Republicans allow Trump to exercise the unlimited power of a king, then he is a king unless and until Democrats regain the majority. Even then, the ultimate power of impeachment and removal from office would require votes from a significant number of Republicans.
1
Trump may yet escape with "no collusion" just the same way Christie did on the bridge -- it's all the fault of toadies who are inexplicably willing to do things for the boss and then go to jail with their mouth shut.
The law often works that way ... in the Teapot Dome prosecutions Fall (secretary of the interior) was convicted of taking a bribe that Doheny (Pan American Oil) was twice acquitted of giving.
This seeming logical impossibility is not a legal one: there was no question Fall received the money from Doheny's interests; it could not be proven that Fall authorized it. Corporate deniability and the supply of fall guys was not new at that time either.
But ask yourself -- do the pack of grifters around Trump look like Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Baroni? Does Trump look as smart and as knowledgeable as Chris Christie? How about simple ability to keep his mouth shut?
Do the prosecutors in "Bridgegate" look as able and resourceful as Mueller?
And then think about David Wildstein -- he was Kelly's subordinate, the inventor of the scheme, and the one who turned state's evidence and testified against Kelly and Baroni. He got probation -- squealing saved his skin.
What do you think Manafort, Cohen, Flynn will do?
And what do you think about Trump's kiddies?
3
In a mere 5 months from now, America will have an opportunity to repudiate "Trumpism" at the polls. Taking back control of Congress from the spineless and complicit GOP will be the first step in restoring dignity and legal order to the federal government.
Vote!
Make sure your friends and family vote.
Vote!!
8
The estimable Mr. Savage, along with many of the legal experts he quotes here, seem unaware of the possibility that Trump's maximalist claims are not meant to be "persuasive," in the legal or constitutional sense.
Their purpose, I strongly suspect, is not to make legal claims but political ones. Trump is declaring himself a dictator, or at least sending up a trial balloon to that effect. Who cares what lawyers and "so-called judges" think? What matters is what Trump's base thinks, and what the Republican congress thinks. The base wouldn't abandon Donald if he shot James Comey on 5th Avenue. Will the Republican Congress respond with threats of impeachment? So far the answer is no.
This is looking more and more like a slow-rolling Republican coup d'etat.
4
Regarding “vision” … the prescience of another presidential aspirant who was gunned down 50 years ago this week never seemed more poignant than now:
"Too much and for too long, we seemed to have surrendered personal excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our Gross National Product … if we judge the United States of America by that … counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for the people who break them. It counts the destruction of the redwood and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and counts nuclear warheads and armored cars for the police to fight the riots in our cities. It counts Whitman's rifle and Speck's knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children. Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country, it measures everything in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it can tell us everything about America except why we are proud that we are Americans."
11
blah blah blah. Trump is merely signalling (virtuously of course) to corrupt Mueller and the corrupt left that he is not going to be stampeded into doing anything. Mueller hasn't even identified that a crime has been committed. He's just sniffing around the edges of the Trump campaign to see what damage he can provoke.
2
Trump and His Team Envision Vast Executive Powers.
Let's not mince words: This "vision" is called a fascist state.
9
It's very sad that the New York Times isn't the same organization that it used to be during the Pentagon Papers and Watergate eras. You, for whatever reasons, time and time again mollycoddle this useless President. He has not an ounce of respect for this country or it's citizens, and by the way, you the New York Times. He has threatened to throw journalist in jail.
Take a tougher stand against this delusional megalomaniac before it's too late. What are you waiting for?
7
To quote Mel Brooks, “It’s good to be the King!”
I wish it were funny.
3
Where is the GOP? *crickets*
5
President Flim-flam may be angling for a diminished capacity defense. The more desperate he becomes, the more autocratic power this would-be (but never shall be) monarch claims to possess.
Just keep letting out the rope...
A neighbor of mine helped me understand this. “I finally get a President I love, and all you care about is reversing the election. I’ll fight you at every turn.” Trump’s actions and Constitutional assertions are irrelevant to his base. They are personally loyal to him. And more so as the criticism escalates. This view is only aggravated by invoking facts.
2
Times: "While Britain’s kings traditionally wielded a prerogative power to suspend or dispense with laws, the framers of the Constitution required the American president to faithfully execute them, Mr. Shane noted."
"Britain’s kings" were never elected, and they were not subject to term limits or impeachment. Shane should know that, but the Times fails to get him on record saying so.
2
So he has the right to pardon himself of any crime? Does that now mean he can shoot some one on 5th Avenue and get away with it?
These are the thoughts of a desperate man knowing the whole gig is about up. He is guilty and his actions, his tweets are telling the whole world what he has done. It's a plain as the nose on his face.
4
Should you really wake up in the morning and be a little scared of your president? I thought we'd be past this by now.
2
This power shouldn’t be granted to any president and certainly not a fascist like Trump who wants to rule not govern.
2
Death to Autocracy in our Government.
Sadly, we have entered the Mad King phase of this blatantly corrupt administration. I guess the extravagant military garb and ermine cloak are next
3
Let's just start calling Trump what he is - a Dictator
2
Remember when it was just Trump's hair that was a joke? Now it's the American Constitution.
3
Is this statement an admission that he is a "worngdoer"?
3
So the same people (Trump included) who chastised Obama for broad executive overreach, are now cool with promoting an overly-powerful Executive Branch? Let's wait and see how they feel when we have another Democratic President.
6
It takes constant vigilance to maintain a democracy lest it slip into demagoguery and authoritarianism. For our leaders, that means mustering the courage to say "no" to the tempatations power brings; having the courage to honor the noble traditions established over two centuries, beginning with George Washington's resigning his commission as commander-in-chief of the American revolutionery forces; and understanding that there is a higher moral standard than accumulating power. Therein lies true honor and patriotism.
How sad. So much for courage, morality, honor and patriotism - sold to the highest bidder. Wake up America, resist entopy.
5
Democracy died on November 6, 2018 and this article is but a mere codicil in its last will and testament...we will never see it revived in our lifetimes. Instead the unbridled tyranny of money will reign unimpeded by such inconveniences as the rule of law or a constitution. In a way our political system's evolution mirrors our embrace of New Age values, such as "do what thou wilt..." that come straight from a bad place.
2
It's certainly true that there are those with a vested interest in declaring that America's done for, but I hadn't known we could blame it all on crystals and Wyndham Hill records.
3
Actually we can blame it on the young people who should be reading about these events but who waste their time in the weeds of social media on their electronic toys...
This is absolutely deadly. Watch for the freedom of the Press being curtailed. That will mean disaster imminent.
5
This kind of thinking by Trump can easily be considered out of touch with reality or psychotic thinking. If we look at the progress he has made in this area it has been progressive, perhaps first with the lies of how many people attended his inauguration. It is time for Congress to take control before this demon causes the destruction of the world.
4
Trump's hunger for dictatorship will not be sated. The only thing, the -only- thing standing against him at this point is the federal Civil Service.
2
this would be funny if not so serious. please, anyone connected to trump, please actually read the Constitution this month. start now and you can be done by the 4th of July and understand what we do with Kings who act like they are above the law.
4
The lies that Trump has been telling us for the last 500 days are becoming the lies he is beginning to tell himself. And he is perhaps believing them. When will we notice the emperor has no clothes?
3
It's too late to do anything. If Congress or the courts should ever try to rein Trump in--and that's a big "if"--he would defy them, and call in the armed forces, and of course his gun-toting "well-regulated militia," to resist them.
There is absolutely nothing to indicate that the armed forces would obey an illegal order. Very much to the contrary.
6
I sure hope I'm wrong and you're right.
I doubt that Trump can even pardon his co-conspirators, much less himself. This should be the be first test of whether the President's pardon powers can be used for corrupt purposes. However, I think Congress should explicitly shut the door on corrupt pardons. Anyone who is a target or has been indicted by a special prosecutor should not be pardoned. Congress should use the bill to protect the special prosecutor and reaffirm the independence of the Dept. of Justice. Everyone should agree that any president starting or shutting down an investigation with the appearance of political bias would be evidence of abuse of power which is subject to articles of impeachment.
6
what co conspirators?
1
This is unconstitutional. Our country is founded on the 3 branches of government, designed to keep a balance of power and to keep a monarch from corrupting that power. We must, as a nation, stand up to this challenge to our democratic system, in any way shape or form that we can, or lose all to a tyrannical government bent on controlling our religious and social norms and manipulating the free market to satisfy their own gains to keep them, and their families in power, in perpetuity. WE are under attack from within by traitors to the very founding principles of our nation.
4
If the president requires such extraordinary and frightening powers to protect himself, then he must be in a LOT of trouble with no way out.
11
Here is our problem in reigning in Trump :
Many legal scholars have derided such claims as going too far, although no Supreme Court precedents offer definitive guideposts about whether Congress can make it illegal for a president to use his powers to supervise the Justice Department in a corrupt way.
1
Uh, the Constitution already reins in the President's powers, as does a long list of Supreme Court decisions.
trump absolutely envies Vladimir Putin and Putin's ability to amass wealth and consolidate political power as dictator of Russia. trumpie himself wishes to be dictator here in the U.S.A.
I support the Constitution of the Untied States. I do not support trump. trump is a disaster.
6
The funny side of the story : I don't remember article about the fact that M. Trump would act like this during the campaign. Perhaps it would be more interesting than write about his misogyny.
3
Me thinks we gave up the guillotine way too soon. Men like him need to fear Something!
3
The Washington Post's motto "Democracy Dies in Darkness" no longer appears quite so heavy-handed as it did when it was introduced early last year.
In fact, it already sounds kind of quaint; democracy is in danger of dying in broad daylight, right before our eyes, as the troll who would be king seems hell-bent on dismantling it.
And the only politician who's willing to challenge him is dying.
If I'd known a monarchy was what we commoners wanted, I'd have preferred Obama transition to the role. He had the regal bearing of a king and he'd have rocked a crown.
9
Is this the shrill wail of desperation I hear?
The only way to remove our president is to vote in overwhelming numbers, starting with the upcoming elections. Be political and make compromises. Multiple factions within the Democratic Party and third parties, will cause these idiots to gain even more power.
3
"vast executive power" a la Trump = anti-democracy autocracy, blatant "executive" criminality and law-breaking, contempt fort the laws and people informing the laws and thuggery!
In other words, the sort of "executive power" that despots like Putin, Duarte, Erdogan, and Bannana Republic dictators practice.
6
Time to get rid of this sad excuse of a man. The evidence that he is totally delusional is growing,and the Republican leadership is abandoning the country rather than deal with the train wreck of this narcissist.
5
See, I told you Trump and his fellow inmates have taken over the White House. and Rudy is going to pardon everyone of their sins (?). Now all we have to do is put a large chain and lock around the White House to keep them locked in their padded cells.
So he literally can get away with murder. Great.
1
Meanwhile, the R's in Congress sleep.
2
It says a lot that even today, after Trump's 'absolute power to pardon himself' tweet, he enjoys 87% approval among Republicans. That 25-40% of our population is a lost cause to defend our democracy. They flirt with fascism and autocracy now because of white supremacy. You cannot reason with them thanks to decades of Fox News, Infowars et al, and now Russia.
This is very bad, fellow patriots. There is a cancer of bigotry and prejudice that was never fully treated within America. It revealed its face during the 1860s, then the 1960s, and finally 2008 -- as a backlash by White Americans older than 30 to Obama's victory which led to 2016.
Even if we survive Trump, our country cannot move forward with the Deep South and Western states (minus the Pacific Coast) holding so much state and Federal power. Look at what GOP obstructionism did to Obama from 2010-2016.
5
I hope he parsons himself so the congress and senate will impeach him.
2
It’s now the (white) Echo Chamber. A self-reflecting, delusional place where worship of the Donald is the price of admission.
3
Trump our fearless leader and father of the nation. We humbly give up our republic to be your subjects and to be awed with your great mind which works with such mysterious genius.
Trump manages to make inane talk into the center of people’s attention while what he, the administration, and the Republican Congress are actually doing and not doing are barely noticed. Time to wake up from this farce and to deal with reality. What Trump likes to have is 24/7 attention and we are giving it to him like idiots.
4
Ironic that the party, and its supporters, that complained so bitterly of President Obama's "imperialistic presidency" is totally down with this insanity.
The GOP is utterly feckless and Trump supporters are the definition of ignorant hypocrisy.
5
Equally ironic that the party that cheered on Obama's imperial presidency and his use of his "phone and pen" now think we need more checks and balances.
2
Ambrose,
Get real. Legal use of executive power, in the face of completely unwillingness to compromise from Boehner and McConnell, is not "imperial".
We don't need "more" checks and balances. We need a President who understands the Constitution applies to him.
Remember Bush and his "signing memos"?
You can reinvent history within your delusional bubble all you like.
Facts are stubborn things.
Seriously.
Trump = Ignorant. Hypocrisy.
from the imaginary world of loony toons comes yet another yet another wild and crazy cartoon.
when do end this nonsense and get a real president?
1
However, above all these claims of power by a president and his attorneys stand the American people. We have the rather simple ability to vote him and his dictums out of office. We can start with his life-sustaining Congress today and in November. And if he is still in possession of the keys to the White House in 2020, we can sweep him away like so much dust and ash. Let us not forget our powers as citizens of this country.
4
“a just mind acts for the common good.”
This the antithesis of Trump thought.
I have come to believe that we are on the cusp of changing events in this nation, being wrought by a group, not just Trump, who want to seize overwhelming autocratic power in our, soon to be their, government. Congress has abdicated responsibility to rule in any fashion. Trump wants to be Putin, Rocket man, and every other form of dictator available. He is attacking our rule of law and media for this very purpose. Who will stop him?
3
The hypocrisy of the GOP and the citizens of Trumplandia is beyond staggering; it is being re-defined. I'm no Hillary fan, but could you imagine . . .
2
Trump Supporters: If you agree with your president's assertions then you Must conclude that President Obama was within his rights to issue Executive Orders and every decision he made: Are you ready to do that? If not; why? Speak clearly and provide keen analysis for your rationale.
6
This is just the beginning of Trump's testing of executive powers. If allowed to actually pardon himself, there will be no limit as to his next moves. The criminal acts committed by the POTUS and his administration will know or have no bounds or limits. We may as well then kiss democracy and this country as we know it, goodbye.
2
Times: "Many legal scholars have derided such claims as going too far ..."
The Times is inflating its source count with the word "many". The article quotes one "legal scholar" (Shane) and one law firm founder (Kris).
Worse, the Times fails to quote any independent source *defending* the memo.
Times: "The memo, however, appeared to be focused on the wrong statute, rendering the statutory arguments beside the point."
The Times fails to cite any source supporting that claim.
1
If we accept the argument that the president can stop any investigation of himself, or pardon himself for any crime, then the president is above the law. In the Anglo-American legal tradition, such a claim has not been made since the days of King Charles I of Britain, who was beheaded because of it.
4
What ever happened to:
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter...."
That all Officers, Enlisted and Public Servants other than the President Take upon entering Service to this Nation. These words are taken from and used to support the very thing that makes our Nation WHAT it is, and that is a Nation where it Has the limits of what each of the Equal Branches of Government are able to do, and what they must not do.
The President is allotted the power to Name the Attorney General, who is to be the head of the Justice Department, but from that point on it is NOT the President who is in charge of the day to day duties of and may be subject to the attention from the AG, as other previous Presidents have found out personally.
Also, the President may Pardon Federal Charges, but not State Charges and convictions. He may also not pardon anyone who has been Impeached or is being impeached, including himself, nor may he pardon Treason.
Normally Presidents tend to "Not Comment on Ongoing Investigations". This is done to politically separate them from the investigation, as is proper. This seems to be something the Trump Team never learned.
3
If a seasoned, cynical pol like Richard Nixon couldn’t sell this argument, what makes Donald Trump think he’ll be any more successful?
Excessive hubris and an exaggerated sense of one’s superiority are two ways that lead to a quick failure of Shakespearean proportions. History is abundant with examples of that, Nixon notwithstanding.
2
His visions of supreme authority have been clear for all to see since he took office. His admiration for authoritarian strongmen is well documented. It is frightening that so many of his followers do not seem to have any knowledge of 20th century history and where this blind nationalism (Trump Train) is heading.
2
During his campaign for the presidency, Trump asserted countless fantasies about what he deemed "wrong" with America, declaring "Only I can fix it." Many journalists at the time wrote this off as empty bluster. They should have believed him. So should have we. Such braggadocio is the mark of a pathological megalomaniac.
The president appears now to be living up to his words of warning. It is ironic that what he is doing is exactly what he excoriated @realpresident Obama for.
5
This is all becoming so very amazing by the day. Ever since the Mueller investigation took off, Mr. Trump has been saying there is no collusion, and he has not done anything wrong. If that is the case, the best recourse for Mr. Trump, is to wait until the Special Counsel inquiry comes to an end. As POTUS, he should be encouraging the efforts of the Special Counsel. Mr. Trump continues to act otherwise. Time to time, attacking and disparaging the Special Counsel and questioning the legality and validity of his Office.
Now, we are seeing a group of lawyers who are providing counsel to the POTUS. This is emboldening the president, and whether the advice he is receiving is in good faith, is questionable. These lawyers, are very strange people. What exactly is it they are thinking, and what their strategy is unclear. What these lawyers are saying is all distorted and their motive is selfish.
What we know is that there is no individual, including the president of this country, is above the law. We see a different argument in this article today.
The Lawyers are construing everything in a different light, and certainly, testing the grounds. Whether they, themselves are being a party to bad and wrong counsel, and obstruction of justice, is all to be seen.
So much so, that the Rule of Law and our Constitution is being challenged. While all this is happening, what exactly are members of Congress, and the SCOTUS thinking?
Congress absolutely needs to censure President Trump, making it clear that a) His speech is threatening to the Constitution; and b) Even Republican legislators understand their job is to offset the Executive branch powers.
"Military officers swear the following oath:
I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."
The military officers also owes a higher allegiance to the Constitution than to the President. A statement from the Joint Chiefs of Staff would also be an appropriate reminder it's time to stop this nonsense.
3
There is simply no point in disputing the fact that we have an ongoing criminal enterprise running our government, probably for the benefit of a corrupt foreign power. The head of that criminal enterprise is doing everything possible to sabotage our economy, our constitution and our standing among nations. The criminals in charge are supported by a cowardly, corrupt Congress and a Supreme Court that has sold its services to the monied interests and religious con artists. As citizens, we are left slowly twisting in the wind, wondering whether it is even possible to intervene in this process or whether we must accept the role assigned to citizens of Russia and other necrotic kleptocracies, that of unwilling victims.
4
I remember when the Republicans used to worry mightily about the "imperial Presidency". I think it was a little less than two years ago.
1
As said on Morning Joe, Trump is giving the Republicans a choice. Our democratic institution or Trump. Plain and simple.
7
Many many Trump lovers are hard-wired to want a ruler, not an elected leader. Many of them thrive under a system (like the military) with an ingrained command structure so they don't have to make hard decisions. They will never admit it and scream Liberty! Tyranny, blah blah, when the "leader" doesn't reflect their narrow world view. But a king is what they want, and it's what they're already getting, and the cowardly, craven republicans in Congress are just vassals kneeling to kiss the ring.
7
The voters who put Trump into the presidency MUST be held accountable. Dealing Trump "out" will be easy by comparison . . .
2
Lol, what are you suggesting? Mass arrests?
2
George S:
The people who support Trump have been screaming "Lock her up" for over two years. No formal accusation, no trial, no evidence, no jury, no conviction, just "Lock her up."
So if that is the standard they advocate, they should be ok if they are arrested and jailed en masse, without cause.
Sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander.
(In the mind of their DEAR LEADER, that is "unfair" when applied to his side, but perfectly fine applied to his opponents.)
"Oh, George!" As both a practical and necessary matter, passing a civics test as a requirement to vote would be a good start. (Mass arrests are a more likely consequence of leaving Trump ~ or his many "uber alles" wannabees ~ in power.)
Many legal scholars believe that President Obama's pardon of the illegal immigrants brought as children was an illegal act
1. A pardon for crimes not committed - the crime was committed by the parents
2. A pardon for acts that occurred when he was not in office - past factum.
2
When in law school, I was amazed by the absolute power granted over the weakest in our society: prisoners may be enslaved, children may be punished without recourse, even those who are unconvicted may lose their possessions. Lately, it is the one kill per cop rule that has people upset.
But the thing that always scared me the most was unfettered presidential power. Forget pardon for a moment. After the Vietnam War, it became okay to get into massive geopolitical battles without ever getting approval from Congress. Millions have been killed by presidential decisions from the left and right since then, with no wars officially declared. (Iraq was an exception, I think, but was obtained under false pretenses.)
This president has not delivered a novel analysis of the law. His lawyers have read the constitution and taken it to the logical conclusion. Only Congress can decide this question, and the party in power are whipped dogs.
Remember, Trump was not actually one of them. They have decided to follow him to their generational folly. They will be judged harshly by history.
8
Take a super-narcissist like Trump, who acts like a demigod, add to it his class-C level lawyers, and worst of all, a pusillanimous Republican Congress, led by Trump's alterego Nunes, then vast executive powers for Trump may well come about...
2
If we have a president who is above the law, then we no longer have a democracy.
Well, for starters, he doesn't have to obey traffic lights.
1
Even the king has his limits.
"The king is and shall be below the law".
Magna Carta - 1215
5
I have a premonition about Trump: He will get away with it. Unfortunately.
King Henry VIII comes to mind.
Let’s see if the momentum of Mr. T and his base to win the mid-terms is (1) enhanced or (2) weakened by their claim that he is the king.
It is a historic sad realization that the scenario (2) is not such an obvious bet.
“Put simply,” Mr. Kasowitz wrote last June, “the Constitution leaves no question that the president has exclusive authority over the ultimate conduct and disposition of all criminal investigations and over those executive branch officials responsible for conducting those investigations.” Where in the Constitution is the President granted this exclusive authority?
If it is true that NO ONE is above the law and the all executive and military personnel serve to protect the constitution, then the President is obliged to do so as well - no matter what other authorities he / she is bestowed.
If this President believes he has such absolute authority to make any action with impunity than we are in a constitutional crisis NOW.
The President's lawyers have delivered their finding of the law that expresses his will and intent. This is the moment that calls forth the words of the Declaration of Independence, the constitution and the final address of Our first President, George Washington with regard to power and tyranny.
Every American must NOW choose if they want to allow this President to continue to serve the people and be subject to his law or to stand up, reject his claims, and remove him from office!
Has everyone already forgotten one of the GOP's talking points about Obama, that he thought he was King with all his Evil Executive Orders?
Whatever the GOP message machine uses to criticize is exactly what they do.
Our Republic is being destroyed, irony by irony.
2
I can remember the Gingrich gang, under Clinton, pushing the opinion that in these times, the presidency has become irrelevant.
Then they won back the White House they so desperately craved. In fact, Gingirch was like Trump without the money. He shut down the government because Clinton ignored him on a plane flight. Trump took a machete to our government because Obama roasted him at a Correspondents Dinner.
What I detest is hypocrisy. So these men keep me busy. The Banana Republicans hand their own presidents the globus cruciger, and when a Democrat wins, they hand him the Burdizzo.
I'm an older Bernie woman, but I have to say it's no wonder they could not handle Hillary.
1
Clearly in plain sight this man Trump is guilty of high crimes--which ones we don't know. An innocent man doesn't do this stuff, or claim "absolute power." If Putin's goal is to disrupt the USA politically, he is succeeding. If it is to disrupt the Western allies, he is succeeding. Where oh where do we find comments from McConnell or Ryan condemning Trump's claim of absolute power? Nowhere. What does Constitutionalist Ted Cruz say? Nothing. The only way to save our country is to vote for Democrats in November. Elect a Congress that will use its powers to moderate the Executive or get him out of office. It's the only way.
1
This man has got to be stopped. Are we going to go the way of pre-WWII German citizens and just let him keep this up? Where ARE our leaders, both Republican and Democrat? Let's do what you were voted in to do- help keep democracy alive. From this man this should be no surprise.
1
Just a thought. Why don't we wait until Trump has a reason to consider pardoning himself, then we can engage in all of this huffing and puffing. Until there is a pardonable possibility, The Times is just manufacturing click bait. After all, this latest bout of hysterical histrionics is based on confidential letters sent by Trump's lawyers to a special investigator who is supposed to be conducting a confidential investigation. Those letters have no legal weight whatsoever - they are lawyerly posturing - which is what lawyers are supposed to do for their clients. Give it a break, Times.
2
This is no great surprise. Trump tipped his (tiny) hand at the Republican Convention with his “I alone” line, and nearly two years later, he’s following the script that the Republican Party helped write starting with Nixon’s Southern Strategy, through the decades of gerrymandering and voting obstruction, with all the race-baiting and “Christian” narratives and cynical flag-wrapping. People talk of the coming revolution. Well, it’s already happened, and that’s just dandy with some 60 million Americans. Saddle up, Founders: Your great document is in for its roughest ride yet.
Delusional Donny commands a vast army of trolls and a declining base. It is getting harder for him to deny that the walls are closing in. His only hope to deny things while his family enriches itself from his office is a full scale constitutional crisis.
1
If Trump ever read American history, he may have understood the motivation for our democracy was to escape dictatorship of a king. It wasn’t to create another “Great I Am.”
Where is the Russian election interference at now? It looks like Mueller has found no involvement with the Trump campaign and Russian election interference. Now Mueller is looking to see if there was obstruction by Trump of an investigation that showed he didn’t do anything wrong. This is just absurd.
2
Trump and His Team Embrace a Vision of Vast Executive Power...... as did every other President.
Comes with the office. As they say
The office makes the man.
1
I am sorry to say to my American friends that the U.S. is looking more and more like a banana republic everyday due to Trump, his cabinet, and his supporters.
2
Since he’s now raised the question. . Why doesn’t someone just file a petition asking a court to issue a Declaratory Judgement as to whether Trump can pardon himself? The lower court will rule and the case will ultimately go to the Supreme Court. Then we will have our answer one way or the other. This is too important of an issue to speculate about endlessly. I’m sure it makes for good headlines and clicks for the NYT and other news organizations, but it’s time to obtain a definitive answer from our courts. After all, that’s why we have a separation of power between the three branches of government. Force the conservative-leaning court to take a stand.
1
The comments by Trump, his legal team and the administration and make me think they're preparing for an indictment.
Keep an eye on Pence.
The idea of expanded, nearly absolute executive power must get him, and his theocratic backers, all jingly in their repressed loins.
There's something happening, here.
Should Robert Mueller succeed in his process, and this scourge is legally removed from the White House, he will be of Washingtonian and Lincolnesque stature.
This is perhaps the most important moment in American history. Will the genius of the founders survive this stress test?
Godspeed Mr. Mueller.
3
Since this American disgrace, called Trump, started his campaign and then moved in to the White House and made of this National Icon the Washington DC branch of the kremlin, we heard all kind of lies and witness all kind of acts to cover up and prove at the same time his submission to Putin so he could have a better opportunity to do business in Russia.
The evidence, that is blinding with is brightness, is the effort and energy thatTrump the puts daily in order to diminish and bring to a stop the investigation that is supposed to clear those allegation.
Been guilty he knows already the outcome.
He can and will keep diminishing the foundation and pillars of the American Constitution thanks to the complicity of the republican party.
The special Prosecutor is doing his job despite all the obstacles, bu lets make the Russian puppet happy and have Mr. Muller hand over is files to the Military and have the Court-martial take care of the problem.
After all we are talking of high treason and give to this frode the opportunity to become unique in the book of shames.
With each outrageous new affront from Trump and his minions, it underscores just how quiet Mueller and his team have been.
Unlike Trump, Mueller is smart, diligent, a proven leader, and patriot; I have an absolute faith that he is moving forward and doing what will best counter the flailing idiocy of the day that the administration seems intent on inflicting upon us meantime.
I realize that many Fox watchers may be beyond reach, but I hope that those still interested in justice will take the findings of Mueller's probe seriously, and react accordingly. My greatest fear is that our feckless GOP will do nothing in response, no matter the charges.
10
Is Donald's Coronation and Anointing going to coincide with his huge parade? Could save a lot of time and money to have them at the same time, I guess. I'm sure the crowds well be even bigger than his Inauguration. It'll be such a solemn and holy occasion. Pence well be the first to kiss the royal ring. Oh, I can hardly wait.
It's so good to be an American during these times, don't you think?
1
Well, so far no one is saying "no" congress is MIA.
In my opinion, too many of us are blindly allowing the devious self-absorbed occupant of the Oval Office to pull our strings and distract, gaslight, and confuse us. Too many of us, despite our criticism, are dancing to the tune of his emotionally unstable fiendish drummer. We're going where he wants us to go on his deviously conceived wild goose chase of any given moment (like kneeling football players) all designed for two purposes, to recklessly feed his base while distracting the rest of us from his "criminal" behavior.
So, Instead of giving him control by playing his sick games, we should collectively focus on and relentless point out the pathological state of mind behind all this divide and conquer "wickedness" that's giving us and our allies panic attacks while spreading hate and divisiveness here and around the world.
Thus, in my view, we should agree to cease focusing on where this man's crooked finger is pointing and instead focus on the sick state of mind of the manipulative man (behind the curtain) doing the pointing. Amen.
1
Mr. Trump gets away with this because his supporters, the Republicans in Congress and yes, even his attorneys allow this outrageous assault on our notion that no person is above the law.
Mr. Trump holds the highest office in the land and it is he who should be held to the highest standards of the land. Mr. Trump, his supporters and the medial all have this backwards. Mr. Trump is not above the law; but rather must be held more rigorously to the law. The President must be a leader, and leaders must hold the highest level of responsibility to defend our laws. Mr. Trump demonstrates only the lowest of patriotic and moral standards of those who have come before him.
When the Chief Law Enforcement Officer is a criminal, he will be held accountable like everyone else. And, at this point, we do not even need the Mueller investigation to know that Trump is indeed a criminal. His statements recently prove that not only has he lied about Russian collusion, but also that he has obstructed justice, and that he has knowingly falsified his financial disclosures. This is to go along with his clear, repeated violations of the Emoluments clause, among many ethical violations and lies, lies, lies.
Trump also makes it clear that he considers himself above any of those laws. There is only one recourse. He needs to be impeached. Now.
1
This from the guy who said, as President, he could stand on Fifth Avenue, murder someone and not be prosecuted.
He's wrong. The Constitution states that, "The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."
It further states, "...he (President) shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment."
One would assume that if the President is being investigated for impeachable offenses, he cannot pardon himself.
On impeachment: it removes a person from office, but the "Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to law."
The AG is a Cabinet member and is under the Executive. However, the President cannot command the Cabinet. He only commands the military.
Under the Constitution, he can only ask for and receive advice, in writing, from Cabinet members.
The AG is sworn to uphold the law. If a President asks his AG if he may obstruct justice, unless he and the AG are corrupt, the answer would be, "no".
The Supreme Court and the lower Federal Courts are a stand alone branch of the government, created to judge according to the law of the land.
The Constitution clearly describes the rights and job descriptions of each branch. The President vows to uphold it, not ignore it.
1
Look at the bright side: trump WILL be the 1st (and most disqualified) American president ever to be REMOVED from office.
Hopefully, it will be a big scene and he'll go kicking and screaming out the door in the arms of two or three burly law enforcement officials.
1
And the American voter reserves the right to remove the enablers of this woefully unqualified carnival barker in 2018. Then the carnival barker himself will be whisked out the door in 2020. This can’t happen soon enough. 4 years of international incompetence and ignorance will finally come to an end.
1
Time to start reducing the powers of the president. It does not matter which party it belongs, this is insane
1
'Trump and His Lawyers Embrace a Vision of Vast Executive Power' meaning "Dictatorship".
As far as I'm concerned Trump and his lawyers are already guilty of conspiring to obstruct a Federal investigation. I will not be happy, nor feel safe in my own home and country, until this criminal gangs of grifters, charlatans, and outright crooks are sent packing. The very idea of an imperial presidency make me nauseated. Mr. Trump will go down in history, that's for sure - what for, is up in the air. That scares me like Watergate or Iran-contra or the invasion of Iraq never did.
1
Since when do we expect anything else from this patently insane person? His predilections have been obvious for more than a decade, and yet we allowed him to run for POTUS. sometimes I wonder if we (the body politic) are not equally insane in a more invidious form.
If ever there was a time to vote out the existing party which supports these lying attempts to abrogate the Constitution, it is now. At least we have the hope that the Democrats will have the backbone to stop this neo dictator and if we can, place at the very least outside the White house House. Let's elect a House which will impeach him and a Senate who will enforce the articles of impeachment. And if necessary remove Pence for supporting these illegalities.
Any Democrat who has stood up to call this president what he is deserves our unreserved support in these midterms.
When President Trump pardons himself it will be the first time he's ever uttered the words "pardon me".
4
I wrote yesterday, am I losing my mind?Today I know it is not me. It is the legal community. I have been avoiding this analogy but after today's article I must make it.
During the Nazi regime mass annihilation of a race of people was legitimized by the law. There is no issue as to whether the Executive branch is subject to the checks and balances of the Constitution. Sociopaths and despots claim no accountability. For the Congress, and the Judiciary to allow this is unconscionable. The errosion of checks and balances built into the Constitution wIll lead to the rise of despots and dictatorships.
3
Americans always talk about how they have all these checks against another King. How is that going ? Guns aint helping.
1
do I spot a trend?
the Presidents who claim unlimited powers, especially in regard to pardons and control of Justice and investigations, from Nixon to Bush to Trump... are all Republicans.
Republicans believe they are above the law, that is: bettter and more empowered than everybody else; uniquely able to get away with anything their little hard hearts desire; able to worm out of the conseqiences of their illegal acts and
conspiracies.
like Trump, overgrown spoiled brats in baggy suits.
ergo: Republicans are unAmerican in the deepest sense: they are monarchists.
1
The strongmen era just keeps on raging. That the United States of America may join this club of incompetent, unethical megalomaniacs is just too dreadful a possibility. All eligible voters must go to every poll and say "NO."
Trump thinks he's Master of the Universe. He and Team Trump are masters of nothing. Their incompetence is vast and long ranging.
3
Bottom line: He thinks he is above the law.
Shameful.
1
Megalomania is so unbecoming of an American president. Trump wants to turn the U.S. into a banana republic, and he won't stop his storm-trooping, power-seizing histrionics until he gets what he wants. So much for our system of checks and balances. He's getting away with everything. What an awful state of affairs.
2
If Trump really was innocent, he wouldn't even be talking about pardon.
But we all know he is a liar. Only thing he has going for him is smart lawyers. Those are the people who are very dangerous.
Confederacy of Dunces. Money being the underlying denominator. The rich run the world, and we the little people still have some small voice to vote if we chose (the majority don't) and those who have much and profit from this moronic megalomaniac being in office, will let the ship of fools continue to steer this country into unchartered waters, so they can personally profit.
This malignant growth called Donald Trump needs to be removed from our government before it is destroyed.
Mr. Trump, we do not have a King. You have no divine rights. You have duties spelled out in the Constitution. You work for all of us, not just for yourself and a few chosen toadies.
You need to go away, far, far away. The sooner you exit the scene, the better. GO!
When will the civic cowardice end and when will the Press have the courage to tell what is obvious to anyone with a brain? Trump is not embracing executive power, he is a dictator in the making, nothing else.
To characterize what Trump does as "embracing political power" is like saying Al Capone embraced "popular justice" by gunning down his rivals. Capone was a narcissistic criminal, just like Trump.
2
Someone needs to take the self-appointed emperor in hand and insist he put some clothes on...
These claims are just more evidence of a silly man gripped by fear. This hopeless administration will inevitably meet an ugly and embarrassing end that was predictable from day one.
Why are we not marching in the streets ?
2
The problem with marching in the street today is it that generally gets hijacked by the most extreme and dangerous loudmouths, from Antifa to Alt-Right. You won't persuade the majority of good people when you have thugs wearing masks to hide their identity or morons waving Confederate flags front and center - and that is exactly who the media will give the most attention to!
2
We aren't going to need our pocket copies of the Constitution where this man is taking us if the Nation doesn't wake up and take action. A bully is a dictator in knee pants.
That attitude is most often held by dictators.
2
With the exception of slavery, electing Trump is the worst decision ever in the history of our republic.
Welcome to the wild wild west...except there are no good people with guns.
There it is, folks: Trump, the wanna-be dictator, announces his "vast executive" powers and his total legal immunity.
This _is_ how it happens.
Remember the phrase, "Is it fascism, yet?"?
2
A lot of nothing about nothing, a little obstruction here, little obstruction there...nothing about nothing. Anybody but the Depp State CEO, Hilary
As much as I hold Trump, the man, contemptible and unworthy of the presidency; and as much as I think he has done and is doing terrible damage to the United States of America I have regarded comparisons to the rise of fascist dictatorships overblown and talk of impeachment as wild-eyed wishful thinking. No longer.
Hitler and Mussolini, the most familiar to Americans, came to power in quasi-democratic fashion as leaders of minority political movements fanatically devoted to them. They claimed to speak for the "people" and seized vast power on that basis.
Our would-be fuhrer's claim to the "absolute right" to pardon himself for any crime cries out for serious push back. Congress: develop and exercise a patriotic spine! You must defend the rule of law or we are ruined.
Yes, the US overthrew a monarchy, the one of King George III - aka Mad King George - only to have a wannabe King and madman at the helm of its country in the 21rst century.
2
All one needs to do is to look at what Chavez and Maduro have done in Venezuela to see where this president is taking us.
Trump has always had a warped vision of himself. From the golden coif configured on top of his bald pate which he sees as glorious to his vision of his innate brain power, Trump has strutted and preened himself before the public with a self assurance grown from delusion.
It's no wonder being President has fueled a increasing narcissism which is encouraged and abetted by the chorus of sycophants gathered about him. Trump had a warped vision of being POTUS and was initially disappointed to find the White House (a "dump") and his actual powers not as King like as he wished.
Well he is taking care of that! Trump knows deep down that HE is the Savior of the country, nay the world. Never have we seen such magnificent! A petulant and severely damaged tiny man who will stop at nothing to assert his special right to do as he pleases while demanding worship and glory.
Having lived in NYC for many years, I got to see firsthand the behaviors of this man called president. Between the bankruptcies, the destruction of people who work for him and supplied tradesmen and goods, the stories of infielities and parties with a known pedophile, the wantant grabbing of women, and of course, the constant lies. This is who he is. Outside of NY, the public had no idea of the man. Yet, the fact that he was only a reality tv star did not prevent them from voting for him. And now we stand at the pinnacle of a corrupt life that knows no bounds. The GOP scurries about enriching themselves personally while using him as a frontman. Horror as he continues his road to dictator and shame on those who can't see the truth.
1
I thought the United States of America ditched the Mad King ages ago.....the Founding Fathers are turning violently in their hallowed graves.
He was ditched in January of 2017 when his second term ended...
Where are all those liberty loving Republicans with their pocket Constitutions now?
The "imperial presidency". Never heard that one before. From starting wars, to extra judicial killings, to all the legislation that by passes congress it seems we've seen this before. When a president wants to get stuff done and the gutless wimps in congress don't have a back bone it's what we get. The fact that trump wants to extend it to covering his possible illegal actions is just another brick in the wall.
We are a young country, compared to much of the rest of the world. We formed a union, structured by documents created by men who did a pretty good job, considering the context in which they lived: they did codify slavery and prevented half the population, women, from voting. Less than a hundred years after we established ourselves an independent nation, we suffered a civil war, whose outcome we still feel today. Nevertheless, we survived as a nation because of the conduct most of our leaders agreed was proper and appropriate. We now face an administration which is testing the boundaries of norms we all took for granted would be accepted and followed. We are discovering, to our horror, many of the powers of the presidency were not codified and so they are, in fact, in play. I like the optimism this country has historically embraced, but this era tests our faith that things will return to "normal" once this administration ends. I am not so sure.
2
So by Trump’s lawyers’ reasoning, he could shut down an investigation into a murder, or murders, that he committed. The most basic principal of our law is that nobody is above it, not even the president, so any line of reasoning that leads to a conclusion that contradicts this principal is incorrect.
2
This is trump's biggest and most obvious move to make him a dictator and if successful president for life. Democracy is at a tipping point right now. Its up to voters to stop this on Nov 6th, 2018 by voting in Democrats to control trump as Republicans have shown they are unwilling too.
2
Obama had a Supreme Court vacancy and the Republicans refused to vote on his nomination. The coup d'etat and the destruction of the American Constitution began then. It is not just a Trump phenomenon.
Let's recall that the Constitution, for all its wisdom, was cobbled together to forge an alliance between disparate regions by promising white men that their power would be secured. Now, the Republicans -- the party of wealthy white men -- truly believe that it is okay to burn down the country and the constitution rather than lose that power. They must be defeated, utterly and soundly. Nixon had the same mentality -- that there was no legitimate party but his own, no legitimate power but his own. We must defeat these people; there is no middle ground.
Rather than deploring this, go vote. Eight states have primaries today.
4
This is what happens when voters decide to “bring in a businessman to shake things up.” They end up with a person who has no clue how to do a job that requires experience in that job. Even though airlines often run behind schedule I doubt most Trump voters would want Trump piloting the jet they are in because he told them he could fix the flight delays. That in essence is what they’ve done by voting in the leader of a vast kakistocracy. It’s like watching The Three Stooges in “The Sitter Downers,” except with no humor and only sadness. He has no idea what to do and is now grasping for anything to hold onto power.
1
For those of us who remember the era of Joseph McCarthy and the real "witch hunt" by the House Un-American Activities Committee under Rep. Joseph McCarthy (R. Wisc) we must ask who will be the current Roy Cohen to keep Trump going in the worst possible direction until finally the bottom falls out of Trump's Imperial Presidency? How many innocent lives will be destroyed before then?
Trump fits the pattern of one who claims their innocence, but acts guilty and perfectly fits the line from Hamlet: Methinks thou dost protest too much!
2
Before he can pardon himself, he will have to legally plead guilty of all charges he wishes to pardon himself from. Until proven guilty, no pardon can be given to anyone, as they don’t need one, being innocent. So, what he said is ‘I’m guilty as sin, should be hanged for HIgh Treason, so will pardon myself’. Then we grab him & carry out the sentence he has set himself up for. Too bad, so SAD.
I think that one has to look at Trump's end-game. I think that his end-game, based on those other leaders whom he most admires, is to be President for Life. I don't think that he is going to be content with one or two terms. I think that the only thing that will satisfy his ego is to be POTUS until he dies of very old age and that he will do anything, short of diet and exercise, to achieve this goal. I expect him to rigorously abuse every power to obtain this goal, and if that means gutting the Constitution and staging a coup, he will. This is a man-child who, if you tell him he can't do something, will go right out and do it just to prove that you are wrong, and if you tell him that he should do something, he won't unless there is something in it for him.
6
Wasn't it President Nixon who said something to the effect that, "if I do it, I am not breaking the law." What happened to him? Candidate Trump stated he could shoot someone in Time Square and still win the election.
This is not the America I was raised in. If you're a citizen or a leader of the United States, you don't rub others noses in i!. Do we just throw out what we learned from Henry Fonda in "Twelve Angry Men?" I know my parents are turning over in their graves. Meanwhile it is quiet at our nations capital and Speaker Ryan has tapped out. Regrettably Senator McCain is frail -- I would vote for him now in an instant over Mr. Trump if I had the opportunity.
I can't fathom another two years, let alone the possibility of a second term, of this insanity. Meanwhile Mr. Trump prepares more of his properties with "the president golfed here." Groan...
"Men at some time are masters of their fates:
The fault, dear (Donald), is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings."
Do any Republicans and trump supporters remember how Paul Ryan, Jeff Sessions, John Boehner, Rand Paul, Steve King and anti-Obama republican voters accused President Obama of acting like a king, an emperor, of overstepping his presidential powers, of dangerous levels of executive overreach, of acting outside of his legal authority and more for signing executive orders?
Didn't think so.
5
To Paul Wortman:
Since t had to swear an oath to "uphold the Constitution " as part of the legal apparatus for BECOMING President, does that not mean he is bound by its provisions?
2
By saying he is above the law I think Our POTUS’s is saying that because he has absolute power that he can do anything he wants. Maybe he’ll try to sell NASA to the highest bidder and take a cut of the sales. With the warped view of absolute power there is virtually no limit to what the president can do. He can control his family and virtually anyone in the country. Apparently if someone has taken the allegiance to Trump oath then the president can dangle pardons to people who do his bidding.
Maybe he’ll use the presidency to give special favors to people who join his club or stay in his hotels because the emoulant’s clause doesn’t pertain to him (too late he’s already doing this).
If only Congress would act.
So, where's the Senate, the part that cried "foul" when Obama was, in the opinion of Mitchell and others, abusing executive privilege to get a few things done. Why aren't those same senators telling Trump and his lawyers to cool it? We are on the road to a dictatorship and they are silent.
2
When Congress and the Courts abdicate power the executive fills the vacuum.
It's not a surprise the President has shunned our democratic allies and embraced a despot dictator.
1
Trump has always been about twisting our legal system and now the Constitution to his advantage. To hide his sins behind these cherished articles of our society is to damage all of us, all in the attempt to hide what he does not want us to see.
He claims to protect selectively things like the second amendment or the rights of the executive branch, but in the light of his corrupting everything else he just shows himself to be a self promoting manipulator and con man in chief.
2
Clearly neither Trump nor his lawyers are Constitutional scholars (or even readers.). The claim that a president is above the law is so blatent in it's desperation that, were the stakes not so high, it would be laughable.
Let's just hope that when this claim goes before the Supreme Court, as it probably will, unless the Trump team realizes it has made a fatal error and backs away from its ridiculous assertion, the justices unite to quash this attack on the Constitution.
3
A person who claims to be above punishment for criminal wrong-doing is positioning himself as an absolute monarch.
We don't agree with that here. That's why we broke-up with the British.
3