I think the country expects Stone to get the book thrown at him....and for Trump to throw it out. 30% of the country likes that. But they are stupid and easily influenced. The rest of us are helpless, watching this trainwreck of an administration tear our country to pieces. It's like watching a murder in slow motion.
They aren't leaving us anything but violence. We need to chuck this entire government, and start over. Maybe Democracy this time?
1
After he was so-called absolutely absolved, I thought Trump would make his celebratory moves secret as in the Ukraine holdup. I seem to have been wrong about that. No need for secrecy now apparently.
3
Both Trump and Barr are criminals. Neither have loyalty to the Constitution. I keep wondering how Lee Zeldin was elected as a Representative from Suffolk County. He is bowing down to his master.
1
“I’m actually, I guess, the chief law enforcement officer of the country.”
Yes, Trump thinks he is everything, the very basis of an autocratic dictator.
3
The best thing Barr can do to "clean up" is to remove the trump from office.
3
What we are witnessing under Donald Trump, is the destruction of all that was good about the USA. He is slowly dismantling every regulation that protects us, and is eroding all the checks and balances that kept us safe from a tyrant like him!
1
This is nothing but a piece of theater designed to give Barr some cover. He’s just NOW becoming concerned about Trump’s Twitter addiction? Please. It is probably true that he wishes Trump would stop being so obvious about what they’re doing.
2
What is happening to our country when our Dear Leader spends all his time dismantling the premises of the duly elected government (and the bad people rightly convicted of crimes) and NOT ONE SECOND fixing the real problems facing the populace. And what is the matter with a populace that opts to put (and keep) this buffoon in power?
2
Unfortunately, clean house means take over.
If he really wanted to clean house, the first thing would have to be removing Barr and terminating investigations into his "enemies".
1
he is making sure we get numb to his abuse of power ... once we hit that point he will declare himself president for life and revoke all elections... sound bizarre? not in that megalomaniac's head
4
When Trump says "clean house" he means get rid of anyone that has voiced concerns about him. This is insane. This is America. If Barr has any dignity, he'd better stand up NOW.
4
America is the first nation in history to have the head of it's government change without a death, invasion or revolution occurring. George Washington was offered a crown and many wanted to make him King. He refused, if Trump had been our first President, would we have had a second?
2
Rule of law? Where was its application over all the years that Donald Trump broke them?
Donald Trump took the steps to set up a fake university and foundation for the sole purpose of confiscating peoples money. Many tens of millions of confiscated dollars later. And still no criminal charges for that criminal enterprise. Why is that? Anyone reading this would have been charged criminally.
4
All across the country -- from California to New England, from the midwest to the deep south -- we all (or most of us) had family who fought the Germans (et al.) in WW II. Asian, black, Hispanic, white: it was our grandfathers or fathers, our brothers or cousins (and even some mothers, etc.) who helped to defeat the fascists on the Western front or the authoritarian, warlike government in the Pacific. So I remained amazed that the Trump "base" so disrespects their family members and ancestors, by supporting a totalitarian, or not fascist, takeover of their own government and country. What can they possibly believe will be the outcome, for themselves, their own children and grandchildren of their support for this person and the people around him (including the draft-dodgers!).
The threat from this Trump cabal is existential for the planet, the country, and our own lives.
4
Where on earth will this end? Nowhere good, that's for sure. It was bad enough when all Trump could do was take out _newspaper ads_ calling for the execution of people (who were later exonerated).
Unfit to be president.
5
C'mon, folks, pull yourselves together.
Donald Trump is a loud mediocrity. His policies are nothing but the traditional fever dreams of the yokel right. The damage he has done to America is not the result of any deep plan to impose any -ism, it's mere incompetence.
The American people is and are sound. The American Constitution, one of the jewels among humanity's accomplishments, is both strong and tough.
Worry? Sure. But fear not.
4
Trump was quoted in describing the four federal prosecutors who left the case - that they "cut and run". Trump may be a serial 'cut and run' artist by allegedly defaulting on personal and bank loans and by using bankruptcy laws to protect his assets, all the result of poor decisions and bad management. In both cases, the prosecutors and Mr Trump, they held to their principles; the prosecutors to serve justice and Trump to serve himself. Maybe the Times can provide a summary of those cases for the public to see.
3
I think that he may be unconsciously trying to set a precedent for the future through his VIP pardon policy ,that will help him in the event he finds himself serving time. There are so many people sitting in prison without the assistance of a well known benefactor. There is something very disturbing about the policy enabled by a president who seems to have little regard for ethical behavior in almost every realm of his activities before and during his presidency.
5
@Attinson Michael - have you forgotten ‘it’ is above the law?
1
Never would have thought Trump would take up Barr's offer. Arguably, however, he just did with these last tweets.
What is left for Barr is to resign or loose all semblance of dignity. It's hard to see why he would hang on when the President has demonstrated, pretty words aside, contempt for Barr's predicament.
8
Never forget this.
We will never forget Trump's enabler's and their degradation of our country.
Yes, Mr. Trump, you are right --- this will never again happen to another president.
Someone with your lack of character will never be elected again.
You have taught Senator Susan Collins how wrong she was.
18
@Paul Collins is a slow learner. Remember her comments regarding Kavanaugh?
1
The Constitution gives the House of Representatives the power of ocersight of the executive branch to protect from exactly what is going on right now with mad king Donald.
Senate Republicans aren’t fooling anyone.
They are aiding and abetting the wannabe dictator Trump, and they have willfully betrayed their oath to support and defend the Constitution.
We are bow at the point where the accomplices must be held accountable as well.
The Republicans are playing for keeps.
The Americans have to play for keeps now.
12
Clean the White House.
Disinfect it. Fumigate it.
Top to bottom.
That’ll be a good start.
12
The Trump just appointed another interim unvetted Trump stooge with no experience as head of National Intelligence. Imagine National intelligence headed but a person with no experience in Intellegence.
How nations decline, the arrogance of the idiot.
17
Comrade trump is following his Puppetmaster Putin's
orders.
13
Like every other criminal Trump has been against our law enforcement and intelligence agencies from the very beginning. He might as well be a godfather in the mafia for all we see.
7
He uses his tiny hands like an evangelical preacher.
11
I disagree with the idea that this ridiculous ruse is intended to give Barr some kind of hypothetical "out" - this is nothing more than yet another distraction while Trump and his fellow fascist Barr do something else to destroy our precious democracy.
For example, In late January the Justice Department published this: Attorney General William P. Barr Announces the Establishment of the Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice. It was concerning then, but now is even more so with this phony "rift" between Trump and Barr.
Please see the whole press release:
https://justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-william-p-barr-announces-establishment-presidential-commission-law
Perhaps I'm paranoid about the intentions of Spanky and his criminally corrupt Gang, but I recall that back over the longest three years in history every outrageous act was followed by an even more stunning attack on our precious democracy. Why would they stop now?
12
Clean house at DoJ:
1) Indict POTUS on the Mueller team charges blocked by untested and legally invalid theory that a sitting president cannot be indicted. Launch full-scale investigation into IRS handling of Trump Organization and POTUS-owned businesses. Convene grand jury on emoluments violations by POTUS. Launch investigation into award of contracts including “The Wall” and Pentagon computer/communications system, etc.
11
This is Trump in a NUTshell. The loudest, filthiest president in our nation's history calls for his puppet attorney general to clean house.
15
This is all so disgustingly obvious and obviously disgusting.
At least the record is overwhelming enough to be clear on the high level of corruption in this presidency.
10
The best way to clean house is for Barr to appoint an Independent Counsel with the freedom to look everywhere. Rod Rosenstein or Sally Yates would both be highly-respected, reasonable appointees for this job. The Independent Counsel should be given about 500 attorneys and 1000 FBI agents to follow all leads including to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
6
This is intolerable. William Barr should resign.
The US deserves a Justice Department which attempts to achieve justice, not a political arm of the executive branch which tries to get the president's cronies off when they commit crimes.
Trump looks more and more like an autocrat.
11
I think Trump has been more than patient. I expected Barr...and especially Wray...to publicly clean house by this time. Wray has been suspiciously quiet, and that worries me because he has a mini-swamp in the FBI.
Unless democrats can beat Trump AND take control of the Senate, it’s all over, as in all over.
4
Trump is in his dotage and has fond memories of his being the big boss man on his tv show, "the apprentice" where he repeatedly says..."You're Fired!" - he can't do much governing because he has no ideas and no energy, so he has found one thing he likes doing - firing everybody.
4
Here's a question to Susan Collins and others who thought like her. To paraphrase one of Trump's precursors (and one who should have been a dire warning to us):How's that learny-changy thing working out for you?
6
Mr. Barr can join the gallery of rogues that Trump has co-opted into his scam. There seems to be one set of laws for 99% of us and another, far more lenient set of rules for Trump and company. That way lies disaster.
17
Trump could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose Barr's support.
18
@Alex Cody Or several people for that matter. Afterwards he would say that the facts were "fake news" and that any prosecution against him was a "witch hunt" and "very unfair". All his cronies would conspire to protect him from any consequences and his base would still support him. What a mockery he and his enablers have made of our legal system, need i say more.....
8
Fact: Trump is calling for a purge of the civil service professionals at the Justice Department.
Fact: Stalin and Hitler carried out purges of their governments when they took over.
This is not a hyperbolic comparison. It is where we are in this country. The conservatives and Republicans are trying to destroy OUR republic and replace it with a Putin style authoritarian kleptocracy. Destroying the rule of law is a prerequisite for accomplishing that goal.
The rest of us had better wake up before it is too late to stop their treason.
42
As much of a Progressive primarily-Democrat as I am, I cannot hold the entire Republican Party responsible for the actions of a very effective demagogue aided by Russian and other foreign intelligence agencies.
We need two functional political parties to operate - both dedicated to the Constitution and laws of the United States.
Throw out or publicly identify the corrupt forces at work and remove them.
1
What's Susan singing now?
9
More proof that Trump supporters are obsessive hero worshippers, wholly apathetic about their nation, or both.
7
Does anybody believe in this charade? Barr is trying to appease those of us who clearly observe our country being downgraded to a Banana Republic. As a former Turkish citizen, I will quote Trump’s good friend, Erdogan : “ Democracy is a bus. Once I get to my stop, I’m getting off.”
13
45 wants to purge all except loyalists to him from State Dept., CIA, FBI, etc. to have complete control over our government. Congressional checks are now gone, and we are losing our Democratic Republic for an authoritarian tyrant. Most dangerous person in our Nation, followed by Mitch McConnell.
19
We are now witnessing the end of America as we know it.
17
I would like to see what happens if the NYT and other legitimate media sources stop reporting on Tweets as if they are legitimate sources of policy, facts, and news. Tweets should not be treated as if they are legitimate speech. It is obvious that they are hysterical provocations; stop taking the bait and let's see the effects...
12
60 million people support Trump? We outnumber them, right? I'm just talking from a sheer force perspective.
10
Where does Trump think he is going to find qualified replacements for the skilled people fleeing Justice?
I don’t know what survey he is looking at regarding civil servant pay, but the kind of people it takes to compete with America’s top private sector attorneys are hard to find at the GS 15 rate.
7
@Lydia. You take it for granted that he wants qualified people. I think that is a dubious presumption. Trump’s handlers expects him to degrade American institutions and democratic values and he’s gone at it with gusto.
14
We see, he learned his lesson.
9
I spent 33 years at the Department of Justice. Our system depends on a core of career nonpolitical employees who have institutional knowledge and dedication to serving their country.
A thoroughly politicized government, hostage to a corrupt president and those who seek to buy his favor would be a nightmare.
18
...apparently a loyalty test for Barr.
3
Why won’t Barr won’t resign? He is too beholden to Trump, no doubt, tho we don’t know by how much! Or he is still awaiting the Rapture that Trump et al may bring down on all our heads,
But don’t people see how much the Trump administration, the Senate, the Supreme Court, and the Fox News system applying the Big Lie strategy are all following the takeover plans of the “national socialists “ from decades ago? If not, perhaps they should be boning up on their 1930-1940s history.
The Trumpists are an existential threat to America and all of us! Wake up!
10
Would anyone want Trump to be your airline pilot, financial planner, doctor or nurse? Anyone? There has to be at least one person in the U.S. who would want Trump for these professions which require honesty, caring, and skill. Just one? No? Nobody? Apparently no one in the U.S. then thinks that being President doesn't require these skills. What does the president do for the people then?
14
@I'm Peach Trump He tells them lies they want to believe.
“At long last, have you no sense of decency, sirs?”
8
When Donald Trump talks about "cleaning house", he means, get rid of anyone who might be suspected of being clean and honest.
17
To date there is no major accomplishment the Donald can point and he is in desperate need of something big to which he can point when the real campaign for President begins. And so starting with the Justice Department Donald is "cleaning out the swamp", just as he promised. Never mind that it is the White House that needs cleaning out, the Donald knows this will play well with his army of loyal supporters and maybe a bit beyond. And he knows that is all he needs to win another 4 years.
2
In the horrific possibility that Trump wins (or steals) the election, and he decides to purge all his enemies, he’s going to have to kill or evict over half the country. And that’s the higher IQ half.
16
And the dictator has been released from any restrictions now.
Thx Senators.
We’ll remember. Count on it.
18
Bumper sticker seen yesterday, in FL, no less...
Elect a clown, expect a circus!
15
Barr cancelled his prime time mid December $30,000 family holiday party at Trump’s DC hotel. Press reported he was going to reschedule it..There is no reporting that the party happened
Could all this be about Trump being mad because Barr cancelled and/or payment/refund shenanigans? Wouldn’t be surprising.
3
What a mess this is... will the US ever recover or is this the end?
9
We have a traitor in the White House. Fix it in November.
17
@Wolf
Trump supporters should read Hitlers actions and History starting in 1933.
Looks like Trump read it well. He’s copying it.
15
AMEN. It’s crucial that more Americans come to understand the national socialists’ game plan—the evangelicals, rightwing, and some Trump supporters understand it all too well!
7
Having the corrupt cretin Trump in the White House is akin to having a fox in the hen house.
8
Cleaning house would be mean getting rid of dirty Trump and Barr.
11
So, now you think you will consider your position because Trump is making your job difficult Barr? You are the same as the rest of Trumps cowards, smirking at all that say he is a threat to anything decent and then after breaking a few norms/laws together you find yourself at the sharp end of his ire/insanity and that’s when you discover that he is more than you bargained for! You had your chance to use the law correctly before. Now it is too late, through your very own actions, Donald J Trump owns you Mr Barr.
10
Trump's favorite tactic is deflection away from his low moral behavior. Blame everyone else.
Trump the aggrieved.
Trump the victim.
It's kid tactic 101.
Cry loudly when mom catches on to your misdeeds and make her the villain.
Bad mommy.
Who's that guy fooling?
You?
Hope not.
17
Trump as President has exposed the need to create laws that will protect the nation from the impulses of an unprincipled executive. For a man like Trump, norms and traditions hold no value. The nation will survive Trump and so will the rule of law.
Perhaps Trump has not been frustrated enough to realize that regardless of his desire, he can not remake the American Presidency based on the model of Erdogan or Putin. Perhaps he does not appreciate that the people and history of the United States is uniquely different from that of both the Russians and the Turks or anywhere else in the world.
11
Trump has already replaced the entire hierarchy at Justice. Cleaning house at this point must be code for firing everyone else at the DOJ and replacing them with Trump hacks.
Turning the DOJ into the EPA or Interior should scare the bejeezus out of everyone.
19
The problem is that Trump wants to define and control the definition of justice. And this from an aggrieved, take no prisoners mentality of retribution against those who have the temerity to defy him or to stand up for the rule of law.
We are realizing, tragically, that everything the chief executive can or cannot do is not spelled out in the Constitution.This is a good thing on balance. Times change, challenges to freedom change. BUT the generally agreed upon set of rules of behavior and checks and balances to oversee a rogue President have been shredded by Trump and supported by the Republicans. Rather than this endless destructive chaos machine can we please have leaders who actually focus on international relations, climate change threats, providing affordable health-care to all Americans, gun safety, ameliorating extreme income inequality... and that's just for starters. How about some thoughtful mercy for people fleeing violence and persecutive (and nerve gas), how about not telling lie after lie after lie endlessly, how about not bullying black and brown people and disrespecting women. Justice looks to me like Donald Trump on trial for obstruction of justice.
16
Yes. Defeat in the 2020 election is the only thing that will stop this lawless president. Don’t count on any Trump supporters seeing the light, though. They are 100% behind his autocratic behavior and ambitions because they see that as the only way to preserve the privileges that their white skin has afforded them all their lives. Trying to change their minds is a waste of effort. The only way to defeat them is to outvote them, and that will require the biggest turnout at the ballot box in history. That's the only thing that matters, and Democrats had better invest most of their effort and money in that goal.
16
This is the Hitler playbook in full action.
Propaganda. (Fox News.)
Constant lying, the bigger the better, to eradicate the very idea of objective truth.
Continually demonize and eventually eliminate the free press.
Use racial and religious minorities as scapegoats, and escalate to inciting violence against them.
Enforce personal loyalty, rather than loyalty to the country, from all public officials. Use corruption and law enforcement apparatus to reward supporters and punish political enemies.
We saw fascism take over Europe in the 1930’s and come pretty close here. Now we’re seeing it again, and it has already captured the Presidency and Senate. We still have hope for a couple of reasons: our traditions around democracy and independent institutions are much stronger than Weimar Germany’s, and our country is much more diverse than that one was.
Nevertheless, it is extremely frightening to see it “happen here” right before our eyes. This election means everything and I mean everything. Vote blue, no matter who.
30
ABSOLUTELY CORRECT. And the uninformed “base” may not understand the impact on their own lives as the Trump acolytes start to round them up (prison, then concentration, then extermination camps) and / or continue to rob low-income folks to reward party hacks and the wealthy!
3
Dis-Barr
15
Even if Trump is defeated in November, to move on as if nothing has happened would be a serious mistake. Institutions need to be strengthened and laws passed to ensure serious breaches do not occur on a whim. The Senate as a political block which automatically acts with the Executive must be exploded by an educated voting public. Where are the public spirited ad makers who can dramatize the dangers of a uniform and unbreakable Executive branch of government?
14
You can count on this feckless Republican senate to have a yuuuge change of heart as soon as a Democrat moves into the White House. They will smother him/ her with new restrictions and constraints.
6
@Steve B No doubt!
1
What criminal wouldn't relish the chance to decimate the police department on his tail and the prosecuters waiting for him once caught.
Trump has engaged in illegal activities for decades.
(tax evasion anyone? phony, fraudulent University anyone? fraudulent charity anyone?)
If you or I did any one of these criminal activities, we'd be in big trouble.
But, if we could mess with the authorities who enforce the laws that threaten us.…
Why, wouldn't that be convenient!
Notice to Democrats:
These are best lines of attack on Trump-
- Trump's lawyers are in court this very day trying to make sure insurance companies can deny you coverage for any pre-existing conditions (including acne. that was actually happening prior to Obamacare)
- more tax cuts for the wealthy paid for by cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, education, infrastructure needs, etc
- forcing women to have children by fiat of the government.
- more gun violence - all Americans are in a "gun lottery" - your number can be up anytime you are in public. The "other guy" is you.
- dirtier air and water, nice for your kids.
- corruption at every agency.
- judges that always tilt to the interests of the powerful.
All while King Trump makes a mockery of our laws and democracy.
Democrats:
You have one overriding task and it's not to savage each other.
It's simply to sacre the living heck out of Americans with the truth.
The terrible truth about 4 more years of this president.
Tell the truth.
17
Anyone who supports Trump is deeply unAmerican.
18
Well, Americans you did it, the Senate did it...Trump now has his own private law firm in DC--it is called the Justice Department....
13
25th Amendment.
12
@expat -- first, censure.
1
too little, too late, he barely let impeachment slow him down, 25th amendment may not be too far off if he keeps up at this clip, Nov is a long way off
2
I live in Mexico for part of the year...compared to the USA under Trump...I feel safer on this side of the wall.
8
Poor AG Barr. He is learning his lessons on the difficulty of successfully being a Trump loyalist. There is no halfway measure on this, certainly no reciprocity. Trump demands you entirely and completely sell your soul, demean yourself, and prostrate yourself at his feet. There is not even a question of savings face or s small bit of pride or integrity. You are his, Baby, 100% owned!
8
Might Barr regret selling his non-existent soul to this devil?
5
Trump is going to completely destroy the vast experience and knowledge base of our DOJ and now he is about to do the same to our intelligence agencies.
8
One can hope.
2
Not to worry: Trump will declare war on Belgium any day now, and all this Rule of Law stuff will be a distant memory.
5
Trump is a serious threat to the rule of law in the United States. That's why I signed on to the DOJ alumni letter calling for Barr to resign.
But look on the bright side: our country hasn't crumbed yet. In signing the letter, i didn't worry about losing my job or my life.
But vote in November. If he is still president a year from now, it will be time to think about emigration.
15
I am so tired of the fear mongering. Trump is an anomaly and doesn’t represent what our country will become because only Trump could get away with what he is doing. He will be gone hopefully sooner rather then later and we will become the city on the shiny hill once again. No worries.
4
Nope. These are committed national
socialists who will overthrow our democracy in favor of an evil authoritarian government. Who doesn’t really understand what lies ahead??!!
3
America inches closer and closer to an absolute dictatorship whilst one half watches in horror and the other half cheer.
17
We have to keep in mind that among the serious charges that Stone and Flynn face is that they lied. But to Trump telling lies is as natural as breathing. Such a "crime" is no crime. Taking an oath and swearing falsely which the Bible condemns and which the law punishes as perjury is a non-offense to our president. What really counts to Trump is telling a tale that gets you of the hook and makes you look good. Of course he would like to pardon all the liars and so too all the perjurers who are his supporters.
11
Deep State=Loyalty to the Constitution. You can see how this unnerves Trump.
11
You are now officially a banana republic. No democracy allows politics to supercede the rule of law. No democracy allows its head of state to weaponize the justice system to punish their foes and reward their friends. No AG with integrity would be complicit in any of this, but Barr auditioned for this long ago with a long paper outlining an extremely broad view of presidential authority, for exceeding that envisioned by the founders in the checks and balances among executive, legislative and judicial branches. Trump has been able to stack the courts and thumb his nose at the rule of law, holding himself to be the ultimate authority, immune to subpoenas, mores, and norms that have stood for more than 200 years.
Add to this Barr's extreme conservative Catholicism, in the flavour of the late and unlamented Antonin Scalia, you have a formula that will diminish the rule of law, equality, voting rights and so much more, all in the service of Barr's stringent personal religious principles.
Trump has hinted that he would like to serve several more terms. I fear that he will not relinquish the office when the time comes, precipitating a constitutional crisis. His loyal followers in Congress would no doubt acquiesce as they have done with all of his other outrages. All that is missing is for him to declare Don Jr. or Ivanka his successor. Just like Papa Doc and Baby Doc in Haiti years ago.
Wake up America. Your democracy is fading away under this lawless administration. Vote Dem.
19
Again, most of the comments point to altering the constitution. Therefore Trump is not the real problem. The real problem -and this being found two hundred years later- is the constitution. That type of thinking is akin to a treasure hunting with bulldozers under a huge building occupied by a multitude of people. May get the bounty but at a huge cost.
2
DC voted 96% Clinton in 2016. Maybe the Justice Department is overwhelmingly democrat. That isn’t right. Obviously there will be bias. And it is showing now. Trump has them so fuming that can’t hide it anymore.
2
Most of the people who work for the Justice Department do not live in DC.
10
@Jim not quite right. You are making an assumption that all members of the DoJ live in DC. The reality is they mostly live in MD and VA. Further, you don't have to be a democrat to vote for a democrat candidate. Finally, I believe the split of Dems, Repubs and indies is pretty equal.
7
I honestly cannot figure out where Barr stands. I don’t trust him. I don’t think his rebukes of Trump are sincere. I think he is aligned with Trump and will do his bidding. His messages appear to be conflicting. I welcome other people’s thoughts.
8
The despot isn't waiting until after the election, because he knows he will do anything and work with any country to win another sham election.
The GOP controlled Senate (with the notable exception of Senator Romney) proved they are no check against this tyrant even when presented with incontrovertible proof of impeachable offenses.
They didn't even have the guts to let the American public hear Republican witnesses testifying against Trump.
Democrats need to put ego aside.
This isn't about turning away billionaires and millionaires who see the threat to the rule of law, the Constitution, democracy and freedom.
This is about saving the Republic.
I will vote for anyone who can defeat Trumpism and the GOP-GRU politicians who support him.
Any Democrat who is more focused on pushing their own candidacy and agenda, over saving the country, so that progress can be made on any front is missing the big picture.
The majority of the country who opposes Trump needs a well funded and galvanized coalition to overcome this Russian asset occupying the White House.
9
Current climate, pun intended, has become so hopeless. Is it hopeless? Tom Perez where are you? Mr Perez must be replaced. And democrat leaders and past office holders, where are you? There must finally be a cohesion and support for the most viable candidate to replace trump and his corrupt pals. The US is rapidly falling. Democratic Candidates must address the frightening tweets and vile appointees.
7
Trumps behavior would fit the actions of an aspiring dictator! DoJ is preventing me from illegal behavior, lets “fix” the DoJ.
5
This is a slow motion coup ladies and gentlemen. Trump is setting up his own "deep state" and we are in very dangerous times. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/02/trump-regime/606682/
9
They ought to throw the book at little roger stone and while they’re at it also at little donnie trump, Hey - give me a couple - I’ll put them to good use!!
3
Mr Trump tweeted:
"There must be JUSTICE. This can never happen to a President, or our Country, again!".
"This" would not have happened if we have someone else as POTUS who is worthy of the power and honor of the office.
Mr. Trump scores close to, if not, zero on self-reflection, emotional intelligence. I hope November 2020 will see him out the White House door.
13
By all means. Let's clean house at the Dept. of Justice. Starting at the top. And then let's move on to the White House, the Department of Education, Commerce ... you get my drift.
17
Welcome to the autocracy. He is already fleecing the government coffers in multiple ways for his own financial interest. The GOP is fine with his behavior. Vote them ALL out.
19
Quote: "This led four prosecutors to quit the Stone case, drawing a lashing from Mr. Trump who said they “cut and run” and were part of the special counsel team’s “investigation that was illegal''.
I say to president Trump. Please be serious and honest. Those four prosecutors did not "cut and run"; they quit in protest. And, the investigation into Stone's shenanigans was not illegal. He was charged with seven felonies - and was found guilty on all counts. Please do not undermine the system of justice built up in this country for over 200-years. Please do not undermine the rule of law. If you do, we will not have much of a country left. It will become a banana republic.
15
So now we know exactly what Trump would do were if he to be criminally indicted, while President, for the many illegal things he has done and is doing. He will simply pardon himself on the way out.
After this man is done shredding our democracy maybe there will be a constitutional amendment that will impose severe limits on executive authority. Don't count on the Republicans buying into though, unless there is a woman or a person from the ethnic / racial minorities that is serving in the Oval office.
7
Translation: There are still decent and honorable people serving in the DOJ.
6
Clean house?
You mean the people who had the guts to stand up for genuine application of the law?
Many lawyers are shocked by this rabid deceit and abuse in the principled service of power and greed.
But most lawyers feel Trump and Barr are as distant from them as a grumpy uncle Festis living on downtown Mars.
5
Alert to would be criminals out there : Tweet a message in support of the President before you commit a crime. You will never the inside of a jailhouse.
5
Trump is so self-absorbed he's no interest in anyone or anything else. Dump the Trump TODAY!
10
I can’t help but think this is all some sort of Karma retribution for all the bloodshed that America has pushed through the world. From Vietnam to Iraq to Afghanistan to Syria.
Bulls on Parade!
4
well, that doesnt make much sense. Germany was barely a country before they got Hitler, not much Karma to draw from, they lost in both World Wars. Sometimes individual people are just evil, and since most people are overly kind,and decent and trusting, they dont realize who they are dealing with. If Trump hadn't had Apprentice for 14 years, he never would have been elected
The French had the guillotine. We have elections. (The last one manipulated by a foreign power.)
We have a useless Congress, a handpicked Supreme Court and a totally corrupt government led by a barking mad, narcissistic moron that wants to be a king.
Of course we have nothing to worry about. Right?
26
What do all those who were pardoned or had their sentences commuted have in common? They are all white men, mostly rich, who were convicted of crimes of corruption. In other words, except for the conviction, the same as trump.
19
and which president just spearheaded criminal justice reform which released thousands of relatively poor minorities who were serving long prison terms for nonviolent crimes? That's right: DJT. MAGA for all Americans!
1
Maybe it's time for Barr to testify before the House about all the things Trump has done. Certainly he could talk about how trump wasn't really exonerated, or there was collusion. He could support the Mueller report.
Republicans in the Senate must be really frustrated. They just gave permission to be a crazy as he wants to be. Shame on them.
Barr is in trouble. He may already be in a position where the Bar association could take his license away, or he could get there soon. Maybe he could salvage his reputation by testifying at the House.
7
Republicans in the Senate have no remorse or concern. They don’t believe in democracy or the constitution. They have no ethics or morals or conscience.
7
If Trump acts this unencumbered and autocratic after an impeachment acquittal, imagine him after reelection.
13
In Trump talk, "clean house" means eliminating anyone with a scintilla of integrity from the Department of Justice.
16
"Every nation gets the government it deserves" - Joseph de Maistre
A lot of people supported (and still support) Trump. Even more decided to sit out the election in 2016, even though Trump could not have been more brazen about who and what he was. He told everybody he could shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue and get away with it. Nobody should be astonished now.
11
I am very fearful that if Trump is not the winner in 2020, we will not be able to remove him from office. He will claim cheating and unfairness. He will make up stories. His ignorant followers will believe anything he says. Our country will be in turmoil. I am very fearful that either outcome from the 2020 contest will find the remaining decent citizens of our Nation continuing to struggle against Trump's corruption, indefinitely......The death of our Republic seems very near and very real to me.
16
As predicted by Hillary Clinton.
4
I see. Thumbing your nose at Congress and the American people was not enough, now 'we must clean shop' of those who remain loyal to our country, getting rid of whose won't do your corrupt political dirty work. Your corrosive behavior was bad enough, doing all that you accuse your rivals of doing, but that is not enough. Simply deepening the Swamp and lowing standards is not enough. Now a full on coup is in order? Witch hunts started by Barr, check. Now a purge of honest civil servants to be replaced by loyal, corrupt political flunkies? I see.
The past 4 years were simply 'grooming' for the American people to accept a full blown Banana Republic coup as normal politics. Your mafia ways are not normal to a democracy and you will soon find out the hard way, if truth be told. And truth WILL be told!
9
I’m inclined to disagree with the Banana Republic outcome of Trump continuing in office. Not all BRs are fascist. Trumpists are precisely after THAT kind of country!
I wonder what’s going through the minds of McConnell, Collins, Barr, Graham...as they watch the monster they’ve created and unshackled lay waste to America. Do they have any regrets? Do they like what they see? To what ends? Is it worth it to stick it to the liberal elites they despise?
15
There is no question that trump and republicans have destroyed democracy. It is now the responsibility of Democrats and the sane Americans to restore the of law and remove the traitors. Lock them up! And shame on you! Disgusting, deplorable, spineless worms. America hates you!
11
Looks like the U.S.A. is becoming a banana republic---a real shame.. Voters were told D.J.T was nt normal...
8
In handing out clemencies like Christmas candy, Trump is doing his damndest to trivialize various “white collar” crimes, with hopes that people will no longer care about his corruption and criminality when he loses the protection of his current position. I’m guessing that this gambit will not be successful.
9
Impeach this President again. And again. And again. And again...
10
Trump is corrupt. So, what?! tell me something I don't know!
You enable him by giving him unlimited coverage and helping him insult and attack people who would otherwise criticize his corruption, then, you report his corruption?! what else did you expect??
8
the most corrupt criminal in america is going to purge the department of justice. and rather than march to the white house and demand his removal, americans check their facebook feeds.
22
I am stunned that the Republican members of Congress have not come to the defense of the good and loyal civil servants of the Department of Justice, the FBI, CIA, State Department. They may think they are being loyal to Trump but they are betraying the American people and the Constitution.
35
@Hla3452
Trump was elected by the American people and is constitutionally charged with exercising authority over those civil servants. He was elected to purge the bureaucracy.
1
They really don't care about the Constitution except when it favors wealthy wyhite people, then it's the Holy Grail. Otherwise it's a doormat at a Subway entrance. Disclosure: I'm white. I read a really good article that said while fear of losing their job to someone on their right and being verbally attacked by Trump is an important part of their recent behavior, it's just part of it. If it's a trade-off between becoming a minority in the country or violating the Constitution to keep that privilege, then bye-bye Constitution!
2
@KBronson: Yeah, right. That’s why those same people voted to return to power the exact same dysfunctional, cynical and entrenched GOP House and Senate.
3
Can this become anymore terrifying?
And...
And....
And...
9
Harassed, threatened and illegally spied upon...before and after the election...like no other Pres
A Democratic-appointed IG finds FBI personnel lied to and altered documents going to FISA judges...
A two-year investigation with 500 subpoenas and testimonies, and electronic info gathering...which was spawned by illegal leaks from D/FBI...
Being accused of being a Russian agent...which Mueller disproved...
After all these attacks on he and his family by employees on the federal payroll...
Yes, a house cleaning IS called for.
3
Please remove blinders and watch something other than Fox News. Then report back to me. Thanks.
22
@Dr. John
Purge baby, purge!
@Dr. John
The one GOP congressman who we know read the Mueller Report, Justin Amash, quit the GOP and voted to impeach the President of this pestilential swamp infested by slavish yes-people.
14
The time is coming when you call Trump a derogatory name you will be arrested
17
Trump is a coward, liar, and an arrogant fool. (Should I lawyer up)?
13
Trump’s ridden Barr as far as he can...the new AG will be Senator Graham.
9
Time for Trump to fire Barr and appoint in his place Rod Blagojevich as AG in the newly named Department of Injustice.
12
This is like the McCarthy Era, except now they’re going after people who may vote Democratic or Not-So Trump Republicans.
12
And if he gets re-elected, God help us all. It will make the McCarthy era seem like child's play.
6
If Trump wants Barr to clean up the Justice Department, he should consider letting the Justice Department impartially investigate Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential Campaign, Trump’s tax returns and his business and banking records. Instead his clean up campaign is an Orwellian phrase for converting our Justice Department into a pro Trump political agency using the power of the law for his own political benefit.
It is totally dishonest and dishonorable, but typical of his demagoguery and his autocratic proclivities.
He truly thinks that he is not only above the law, but can manipulate the levers of the law for purposes of his re-election and to exact vengeance on his perceived political opponents.
18
Yes. Clean House. The White House.
23
Trump loves all this free press. Imagine what would happen if there was a press week free of Trump. He loves the press and the press loves him. A headline story everyday. Maybe the press needs to stop being complicit and give us all a break from POTUS.
15
Did Trump actually say (at the end): "I haven't given it any thought" meaning no thought on the pardons? Could this really be true?
3
Its all too inefficient.
The Republicans need to post how big the donation needs to be be for a pardon. So Medicare fraud... 100k, selling an open Senator seat... hmmm. 2mm?
So if the law is for sale... how much exactly. All very confusing.
I’m too old for this.
10
@Edmund Burke
Bill Clinton could be his consigliere. He collected a mint for Marc Rich pardon.
"The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump" [PsychologyToday]
John Gartner, Ph.D. is the founder of Duty to Warn, an organization intent on warning our country that we are in dire trouble due to our president’s mental instability. More than 60,000 mental health professionals have signed John’s petition, which states:
“We, the undersigned mental health professionals, believe in our professional judgment that Donald Trump manifests a serious mental illness that renders him psychologically incapable of competently discharging the duties of President of the United States. And we respectfully request he be removed from office, according to article 4 of the 25th amendment to the Constitution, which states that the president will be replaced if he is ‘unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”
Trump Compares Himself To A King, Angry Critics Go French Revolution [HuffPost]
So ... he’s “admitting that he’s running on a platform of unrestrained narcissism,” tweeted George Conway.
President Donald Trump compared himself to a king Saturday with a quote by American philosopher and writer Ralph Waldo Emerson warning: “When you strike at a king, you must kill him.”
Trump actually wrote “the king.”
Trump looked up at the sky and said 'I am the chosen one' while talking about his trade war with China [BusinessInsider]
While speaking to reporters, the president looked up at the sky and said, "I am the chosen one."
15
I think this is what Senator Collins meant when she said Trump had learned his lesson
9
And this is how democracy dies.
12
This is unbearable.
20
Trump misses the irony that the "clean-up" should start with Barr.
8
Say thank you with your vote for Kentucky Senate, Amy McGrath.
21
What a tiresome distraction! Trump's supporters must be either bored or ashamed.
5
This is rich, the most corrupt president in American history wanting to “clean house” at the Justice Department. He is the devil in the White House.
25
@Truthiness
Yes this is rich. I am guessing that Donald is not rich. In fact the reader if he or she is not in millions of dollars of debt is likely richer than the Deutsche Bank customer- the only bank sleazy enough to lend to Donald.
6
@Trutheniss
Yes the devil is in the White House and the pretend Christians helped to put him there.
7
It’s unfortunate that the only thing DJT appears to know regarding the rule of law is to break it, ignore it, subvert it, evade it, and use it to sue.
That should make every single American worry.
19
It would seem that Barr never considered the repercussions of working for Trump, not grasping that no matter how far you pushed the envelope for Trump he still needs you to push it farther and farther.
12
I disagree. He thinks a lot like Trump. Just look at him...probably picked on in school, def not an athlete. Now he has power and he is using it but in a bad way.
2
I despise Trump with the heat of a thousand suns, and am horrified by what he does at least once a day, without fail. What I wonder, though, is if I would be equally-shocked if someone whom I admired and whose policies I agreed with did the same sort of thing.
I would like to think that I would still be outraged, but I honestly don’t know.
5
People with conviction stand by their convictions. People with weak convictions go with whatever is best for them.
2
@Chuck I don't have weak convictions, if that is what you are implying. I just don't know if I would be so upset if a democrat used the same tactics republicans have used for years, and be intractable and stubborn and run roughshod over the GOP. It is regrettable, but, sometimes, unpleasant means can justify the ends.
Clean house? Does this mean get rid of all the honest good lawyers and judges?
17
Well, Attorney General Barr. How does it feel to be thrown under the bus, as you have been doing to some of your own people?
How is that Unitary Executive thing you have memorably supported working out?
But hey, I hear you have Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham supporting you. Sort of gives you a real comfortable feeling, right?
11
Barr needs to clean out the White House, starting at the top.
12
of course a criminal would like to get rid of the cops, duh
19
Barr has no choice but to resign.
It is now clear he had been faking his displeasure with Trump. He ingratiated himself with Trump (his memo about the all powerful executive) - that's how he got the job.
And, now Barr intends to serve Trump. Think of 1930's Germany. Hitler couldn't accomplish his misdeeds alone - Hitler had many Barr's to help him achieve his goal of destroying Germany. Now it appears America will go down that road. Thanks to Barr
9
See coming thriller.
'Night of the Long Knives'
13
@D
Then an Enabling Act so Trump can rule by decree.
1
If this Republican insurrection stays true to form they will remodel the government in their name and should they lose the presidency quickly pass laws blocking the new president from instituting change.
11
@Mike
Can’t do this without taking back the House, first.
1
@Mike
That is what the courts have done blocking Trump from undoing what Obama did.
Trump wants to be King, Barr wants him to be King, and a lot of the people that voted Trump into office would not mind him being King. How that fits with the rest of the nation is kinda up in the air right now.
Come the few days after election day if Trump is voted out, we will see the test of whether he wants to leave or not. If he is elected for a Second term, I think he'll honestly try to push us into a Kingdom of donnie kind of nation. Who out there would stop him?
6
Barr believes Donnie Two Scoops IS a king. It's called "unitary executive" and it's as American as IUDs or borsht.
3
Clean house at the White House.
12
Time for Barr to investigate Trump and pick up where Mueller left off.
Subpoena EVERYTHING and take it all to the Supreme Court.
As a Roman Catholic, it is time for Barr to do the right thing.
13
@Toms Quill
Barr stopped the Mueller investigation very quickly on becoming AG. Mueller did not even get into the dodgy financials. But NYT did manage too.
3
Of course Barr is not going to resign. He is a Trump toady who has misplace his integrity.
12
I find it disconcerting that my registration as a democrat is public knowledge when I’m being referred to as an enemy by the state. I hope I remain at disconcerted and don’t find myself at worried.
5
Why are we paying taxes to this government?
10
@Joe X.
Or following any laws for that matter?
6
I'm guessing Barr is going to demonstrate his independence by doing exactly what Trump wants him to: start firing people who Trump doesn't like. What TV show does this sound like?
9
Ron Blagojevich would make a great Attorney General.
Trump could probably get his law license reinstated.
And Mike Millken would be perfect to replace Jerome Powell at the Federal Reserve.
President OJ - acquitted but guilty as sin - is such a great judge of character.
10
I'm second-generation born here and wish I could leave. I'm telling family members working overseas to stay there and they are. I'm past my mid-sixties, so this means I'll never see them again.
"Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," are all obsolete terms as is the Statue of Liberty which should be returned to France because like the despots and tyranny that engulf us, it's a lie.
We're moving into the brutality of fascism where the "republicans" are allowing criminals to plunder and pillage all for one criminal who will always and forever remain impeached as a known criminal.
13
can't wait for the kompromate to surface...
14
The quote at the top of this article says it all ... Has Trump's ignorance of reality gone this far?
Be careful what you wish for, coward is chief.
'Clean House' may be delayed for 10 months, but when it happens it will be awesome and total.
You might need to call in some of the debts from Putin.
A secret 'dasha' up in the Arctic circle may not be quite as glamorous as Mar El Lago, buy it's way better than Sing Sing.
tic, toc, tic, toc ....
5
We have a front row seat watching our once great country turn into Turkey or Saudi Arabia, authoritarian states where journalists are jailed or killed, all camouflaged behind red MAGA baseball caps, fake Christian piety and the con artist platitudes of a game show host president.
10
I don’t think Barr should be allowed to resign. He should be forced to live in the strange he’ll he created for the rest of us. His vision . . . His penance.
8
On top of that, I suspect the big C.I.A. guy, Anderson was murdered for what he knew. Specifically the C.I.A. relationship with Osama Bin Laden in 1980's Afghanistan. Focus on that story as well.
2
And why is any of this a surprise?
Of course Trump wants to clean house, among other things.
Did you expect any less?
And to think his presidential campaign has barely begun.
Could you imagine how much worse the situation is going to be by November?
Nor can you trust the situation with AG Barr. We have seen this kind of situation before with Jeff Sessions.
Remember Jeff Sessions? The first AG.
Or, to put it another way; how would you respond if you are AG Barr?
Either this is a grandiose act of some sort by Trump and Barr, or Barr will become a parish in the very same way Sessions did and ironically, Sessions is still supporting Trump. He made that very clear when he announced he was running for his old Senate seat currently held by Doug Jones.
And the naming Grenell as head of national intelligence?
Can you imagine him using the wheels of our intelligence apparatus against all who oppose Trump and his agenda?
Remember, this is Trump we are talking about and no one is going to stop or challenge him.
How did we arrive in this place?
5
We arrived at this place because of the Republican led senate controlled by Mitch McConnell. But of course we all knew that
7
Wake up - the real issue is millions of people that want this and have no values except stick it to the other side - MILLIONS.
25
And we all thought that purges only happened in communist countries!
Well, we may not be heading for communism but we are well on our way to fascism.
16
There is a book of 37 professional opinions that would suggest that it is not an unchecked strongman at the helm, but an establishment supported, mentally ill, bully.
9
I hope the United States is capable of having a free and fair election in November. The foreign cyberwar we are combating may be just icing on the cake for this president. Since he is now installing people who will do anything he demands, he can corrupt our electoral process. Why is that not possible or likely?
5
Trump and Barr are playing a game with you, New York Times. Let's pretend to be at odds so the fools will think we're not in cahoots on the dismantling of the DOJ. Shame on you for not calling this out
13
Finally we have a President who is action oriented. He is also true to himself. He will stamp out every honest and decent civil servant in our government until the only thing that is left is the will of Trump. And he will pack stadiums with screaming and yelling MAGA hats wearers ready to announce their total fealty to a man who thinks for them and instructs them how to behave. If that is not an inspirational American story I don't know what is.
25
correction: KAG hats, no longer MAGA hats
@Rick Well they may have changed the hats, but they have the same numbskulls wearing them.
4
This really explains how Failed 45 works... Barr agreed to do one horrible thing for him in exchange for a few coins. Barr will quit/get fired, but the damage has been done.
As long as The Orange Cancer can keep getting people to do one horrible thing for him before they bail, he's got it made.
Each step is another bleeding wound in the heart of our nation, but as long as each person does only one or two things, they can walk away thinking that they didn't hurt things too badly.
9
“Clean House”? Sounds like certain dictators during WWII, cleaning house of every individual or institution that stood in their way.
11
Oooh, another opportunity to play my favorite game – What if Obama had done it?
13
Vote blue no matter who.
14
I regret you selectively allow comments depending on the articles you publish. Frankly, I'm chomping at the bit to tell you a few things; first is this story about Trump trying to savage the Justice department. He's trying to get rid of witnesses against him and the other new story about Grenell, a Trump yes man, being made acting director of national security rang the alarm bells. Not only is he trying to get rid of vital witnesses, now he's putting his man in charge of intelligence, presumably to find out what the agencies have on him like when Pompeo was C.I.A. Director.
8
"champing at the bit"
you're welcome
Maybe the dems should simply use this meddling with justice wich is unconstitutional to open a new impeachment case.
Otherwise he will get away with everything- we aren’t far away from his adage “I can shoot someone in 5th Avenue and get away with it”
5
Translation from Trumpese: All honest patriots must be replaced by liars and crooks.
9
Trump is releasing some nasty people who will join his team with the sort of cultish fervor he demands. Our government is becoming a crowd of crooks and sycophants.
So this is how a democracy crumbles into a lawless and corrupt dictatorship. I wish those who could speak up would do so.
10
@AGoldstein
All Americans need speak up. It's time to stop waiting for others to speak up.
7
The Congressional Republicans should be protecting us, but they’re not. It’s shockingly shameful. They all need to be voted out!
4
@Juker Other than writing comments here how can we do that? I am just sick at what is happening to our country. I feel like it is being run by a group of gangsters or mobsters who just do as they please, spent taxpayer money as they please, and nothing is done to stop them.
I am dismayed to see that our government is so poorly set up that there is no control here by anyone.
2
And this is only a known-known! I dread to think what the next admin in the White House will find that was done in the dark.
4
@angel98 I feel the same way. What we know is frightening enough. What was said privately between Trump and Putin, who is so vocally admires and bows down to is also frightening. For all we know there could be treason involved here.
5
From his personal dictionary:
"Clean house" verb phrase, in all tenses and forms 1. to eliminate all obstacles to his own goals 2. to remove impediments to actual and perceived loyalty 3. to feign pro-moral, anti-corruption intent [see under Nixon: "I am not a crook."]
4
I am fearful for our country today. I am worried that Trump's example of lawlessness will be a contagion to those easily influenced by his actions.
4
This is a tipping point! There are 258 more days left in this thing’s term.
6
You forget to mention the more than 1,100 Justice Dept officials from across the political spectrum who signed an open letter strongly condemning Trump and Barr, and calling on Barr to resign.
8
“You don’t miss the water until your well runs dry.”
I’m afraid the levels of ignorance, greed and apathy in our voting population are so high now that many, many people simply don’t seem realize how fortunate the US has been compared with most of the rest of the world. So many, many people don’t seem to realize how fragile our laws, our social compacts, and our relative affluence are. So many, many people don’t seem to realize how difficult it was to get where we are. So many, many people don’t seem to understand how easy it is to destroy things, how quickly things can be torn apart, and how long and painful it is to rebuild.
Certainly, there are many things wrong within and about the US, both historically and currently. Some things are truly horrible and must be changed.
Just as certainly, on the whole, there is a lot of good here, and we in the US have been very fortunate compared with the rest of the world. And certainly, fixing what’s wrong about the US doesn’t warrant destroying so much that is good about it.
It is beyond maddening, beyond disgusting to see so many people lining up to abet the destruction of so much that is good, all in the service of this incompetent, pathologically greedy, vindictive madman named Donald J. Trump.
Trump only cares about Trump. He has proved that time and again. Trump only knows how to destroy, and is interested neither in building nor uniting. He has proved that time and again.
Wake up before it’s too late!
16
Trump's abuse of the power of his presidency is becoming superlative and nasty. All this due to the complicit McConnell's of this world, with a silence so loud our ears may break down. What an outrage upon justice. Trump is Narcissism personalized (inflated self-importance, constant demand for attention and applause, destruction of any relationships, and a total lack of empathy). Given he has no remedy, he must be 'fired'. And the sooner the better, for the survival of this republic.
4
@manfred marcus I am afraid the only ones who could have fired him were the Republicans in the US Senate, and unfortunately they have turned out to be just as corrupt and self serving as he is by enabling him.
4
Trump is a malignant tumor upon our democratic republic.
It is never an easy battle for the host but a battle that must be fought in order to survive. Real action is needed by the people. What action will we take other than waiting for more freedom to fall from our grip on life as we know it?
It is happening in from of our eyes.
It is time for true patriots to take to the streets, we cannot wait.
Laws matter, Truth matters, American values matter.
Freedom was given to you, are you ready to pay it back?
9
If Bill barr has any self respect left he should immediately resign.
We were told Barr is a personal family friend of Bobby Mueller we saw how easily Barr stabbed to that frienship.
For what and for whom ?
Lying trump.
Now trump is mocking and humiliating Bill Barr every single day.
Was it worth it ?
Tick, tock....
5
Please stop reporting on what Barr has said. If it was "impossible" for Barr to continue in his job because of Trump's tweets, the fact that Trump is doubling down on them obliges Barr to step down, immediately. The fact that he hasn't marks all of this kerfuffle as a major gaslighting.
Can anyone believe a word that comes out of Barr's mouth with Trump manipulating his jaw? Trump has fired everyone who is not a Trump loyalist. And he would have fired Barr for his "impossible"statement unless it was a put up con job.
8
The only house cleaning needed at DoJ is at the top. Barr needs to be ejected and disbarred.
7
Clean up the Justice Department translates into make them do whatever I want them to do. Rather Hitleresque.
7
Welcome to the United State of Donald Trump's Mob. The rule of law appears to now be broken as the President meddles in a highly political manner on very sensitive cases, and the Justice Department can't shed that appearance. The Constitutional Founders' institutions to protect the public are crumbling. Doesn't the Oath of the President require maintaining those institutions?
9
Never has it been more blatant that the wealthy connected white male's justice is less about justice and more about protecting the reigns of power.
I have to wonder if Barr's interference is less about protecting Trump but has more to do with protecting those connected to the malfeasance that connects them toTrump and his crooked financial dealings with Deutche Bank, money laundering, Russian mob money, dirty deals in the gas and oil obligarcy and who knows what else. And as this cancer permeates western democracy China goes about her expansion into developing countries building up their infrastructure, building factories, creating jobs. Can anyone guess who will win this war.
11
What is happening to the United States, everyday one thinks it can't get worse, everyday something more dysfunctional is occurring, I am 65years of age, I remember watching programs that had an air of doom, however, I never thought I would equate your Government to be embroiled in something worse than a soap opera, directed by a"spaghetti- western-writer-producer" in this case the President of the United States and starring an ensemble cast of characters, known as the Republican Party portraying a group of carnival clowns, how many can you fit in a Volkswagen beetle, Americans you are better than that, Surely you must want to regain your dignity, your pride, your place in the world. This is flabergasting, Please use your voice, vote, but choose wisely.
9
The disappointing aspect of this President isn’t necessarily the man; it’s the millions of Americans and the Republican Party who have tabled values of integrity and decency for the prospect of more money and power. Look in the mirror America, Trump is who we are. It’s ugly. One might argue that America has always been a country that exploits other human beings for the benefit of a few at the top. It started with running native Americans off their land for natural resources. Then the London Company brought in slaves to work on confiscated land. Now, Corporations pay minimum wage to people who have to work several jobs just to pay the rent. Trump is just another man who benefits from exploiting others.
14
Just because someone is a career federal employee that doesn’t mean they are “patriots”, “self-starters” and “hard-workers”.
Anyone who has dealt directly with federal employees - even their managers and attorneys - know it is about 10% of employees who do the heavy lifting. Many others are consumed by the benefits, automatic pay increases and the doing-just-enough environment of being lifelong employees and awaiting the most generous retirement benefits in the land. They need a good shake-up once in a while.
4
According to the stats, democracies/republics survive for more than 250-300 years. (with the exception of Iceland, the Faroe Islands and the Isle of Man)
2020-1776=244 years. We have arrived. Make plans for the catastrophic shift. Most failed democracies become some form of dictatorship.
We have paid the price of admission and are now enjoying the show.
Fight for it, make the changes or go down with the ship.
That's the way it is.
5
Trump has no training in criminal law; though he might be a Ms. Vito expert [“My Cousin Vinny”] because he has experience committing fraud upon the masses.
However, this expertise is not the sort of expertise that warrants granting pardons or clemency to those who abuse our system.
Each of Trump’s pardons or grants of clemency merely lowers the risks of and increases the rewards for being criminally corrupt and greedy.
5
I am just checking in with my mind...
Did Robert Mueller and all the investigations into Trumps and his associates occur in his DoJ?
I thought it was!
If so the only conclusion is if he does't like his own picks turning on him then maybe he should do any inappropriate actions.
Otherwise one will assume Trump is trying to circumvent the law just like a king.
1
Attorney General Barr is no longer needed by Trump. He has served his master well during the Congressional Impeachment process and is now being harassed out of office by the Tweeter in Chief and destroyer of all who fall under his spell.
Trump uses people as if they were paper towels to be used once and discarded.
The people of the Trump Administration are the "one and done" of Government. He hires with a single purpose in mind and then discards them on the trash pile of history, their usefulness gone along with their reputation and dignity.
Is anyone really surprised any more? We shouldn't be. Soon Barr will either resign or be fired, to be replaced with yet another "Acting" Cabinet member.
3
Will we make it to November?
6
@John Warnock
not if we wait, it is time to act John
2
@Juker: What do you think we should do? We should have been flooding the streets, long ago, every weekend, over and over, just like the people of Hong Kong. Apparently we cannot put down our devices long enough to pay attention to the criminals in Washington DC and take action. There goes our Republic...
1
@A Bird In The Hand
Call everyone who supports him racist. It hasn’t helped yet but maybe if you scream louder.
Crooks. All crooks.
In plain sight with no restraint.
No laws to stop them.
Cheered on by senate and the base.
A threat to world peace and the climate.
Only a few short years ago you moderated against such observations letting thi cancer grow.
And now its there in the open.
Call it what it is.
Be honest and direct.
2
@Richard Bradley
Too late. Everyone knows now. Republicans do not care. Too many Americans do not care. It’s November Blue or bust!
2
For anyone that believes that Billy Barr has the character to resign, I have the most beautiful bridge for sale. Comes with water under it at no cost.
5
Trump and Barr are both traitors.
Yes. Let’s clean house. Jail for each of them.
4
Who knew that a third rate reality show shyster would throw our entire country into tyranny. The senate folded like the paper dolls that they are. Sounds like a bad movie. Please wake me up from this never ending nightmare.
9
I'd wish you sweet dreams but...? it seems that no one is waking up for a while... sorry
2
I guess Stone must have a lot of incriminating evidence on Trump, not that the anti-American, traitorous Trumpnistas would care.
6
Oh lord Vladimir Trump is at it again.
2
A hologram of Roy Cohn will be Attorney General by Spring.
9
Want Ad:
For Trump Department of Justice (formerly United States Department of Justice)
Join the Trump team in Washington D.C.! Good pay and benefits. Groundbreaking legal work! Learn on the job. No legal experience required. No ethics required. No critical thinking necessary. You will be told what to do.
Become a friend of the President. Free tour of the White House.
If your name is Roy Cohn, we're looking for you.
6
@JMT Bill Bart is the hologram . This is all staged .
2
America is dead.
2
@C Billiau Dying. We still have a chance to save it. I refuse to give up.
All Roads Lead to Putin.
Barr is hollowing out DOJ and filling it with suckups who will support the fake Deep State conspiracy.... Guiliani brings back "investigation" from Ukraine.... Trump says "It exonerates Putin from meddling in 2016." Just in time for 2020.
Its Made for TV Fox News theatre for the base.
Geessshh! Just Disgusting!!!
7
When you have a crook in the White House this is what you get.
3
Yes, frustrated Americans demand justice. But that would require revisiting impeachment and having Senate Republicans (they don't deserve being called lower-case 'r' republicans) not act the stooge and sycophant to the Troll in Chief.
2
SAFT---Save America From Trump
3
Mentally incompetent or sly as a fox. He will just attack everyone to cover up his actions and try to portray himself as a savior. I have seen this show more than once, Joe McCarthy, Adolf Hitler, etc.
3
Trump hasn’t thought about pardoning Stone? Americans are suckers to swallow this Trump bait.
2
Despite pleas from Barr?! Has the NYT lost its mind?! We are being gaslit in real time here. Stop aiding and abetting with this kind of copy!
7
Does anyone seriously doubt that we no longer live in a constitutional democracy? Trump has declared himself King and the treasonous sheople in congress gladly go along. To use a previously overused analogy, this is the same mindset that elected Hitler. Hey, he’s evil, but he is OUR evil guy! Long live the King!
3
The idea of this idiot president calling for "justice" is patently ridiculous. If he got what he really deserved after that FAKE impeachment, he'd be frog walked down to a cell in Guantanamo.
3
Please start with the housecleaning by taking out the trash in the whitehouse.
6
I just don't have any more words to express my disgust with this president. So much for "learning" from the impeachment.
6
@DT ... Yes.. Thank you Susan Collins!
4
Another Trump against the world, especially a world that might invalidate his position. This is all about keeping himself in the news instead of the democrat candidates for President. Will he do something worthy of an investigation? Probably, but if the House goes down that path, make it a secret one. The lack of publicity and inability to control a narrative will drive Trump crazier than he already is, if that's possible.
3
Will Barr "clean house" when it comes to the White House? I read today that Julian Assange's lawyer said Trump offered a pardon to Assange if he'll say Russia had nothing to do with Clinton's email leaks.
Another quid pro quo?
8
kakistocracy
4
Umm, is this when we start marching?
4
It’s what Al Capone would do if he were president. Fire all the honest cops.
7
It strikes me as absolutely incredible that nothing can be done about this president. We are seeing before our eyes the nightmare that the founding fathers (indeed, founding fathers in any democracy) had regarding democratic systems and rule. The next step will be for Trump to simply say that the deep state is threatening democracy and use unsubstantiated facts, upheld by mock appointees in diverse key roles (DOJ; CIA; NSA) to support his claims. He will then be justified in creating a police-state environment, a precursor to a genuine police-state. A sad, sad day when one realizes that this man and the Republican Party, is exploiting the very aspects of democracy that make it, as Churchill put it, the "least worst" of all forms of government. And nothing can be done.
4
Please! This absurdity has got to cease!
I blame all of this on that “son of a Mitch McConnell.”
4
Yup as famously stated by Maryanne Williamson; the first thing to do with the Oval Office once Trump is out of there is to disinfect it with a gallon of Clorox. No matter who vote blue in November.
5
Susan Collins, I hope you're proud of yourself.
8
An observation from afar …
Asked about pardoning Mr. Stone … Mr. Trump said, “I haven’t given it any thought.”
Oh, c’mon?!?!?! Does anyone actually believe that?
4
The American justice system can no longer be trusted under the Trump regime. Canada should release the Huawei executive currently being held at the request of the US, and Britain should release Assange back to Australia as soon as possible. Neither of these individuals would be able to have a trial free of political interference in the US.
2
This article is almost all recap of old news. The entirety of the new information comes out in literally the first two paragraphs, and the rest is background.
The news is that Trump has tweeted something. Come on, NYT, you're supposed to be better than this.
1
And Barr replies, how high?
2
Purging all who aren't willing to put the man above the constitution, suppressing the free press by naming it the enemy, marginalizing immigrants and making them the "problem", saying, "Only I can fix it", nepotism, pillaging the people's money, undermining national security institutions, eschewing science and education, white nationalism/tribalism,....this is fascism in plain sight. If this evil is allowed to continue for four more years, democracy will only exist in history books.
2
Even if Barr resigns - the madness will continue. Mitch McConnell, your love of " steam rolling" Dems has now taken a maniacal turn. Your power hungry collusion with the mafia boss in the WH is now in the history books. A legacy left for all the world to see and that no person, in their right mind, would ever wish for in a million years.
5
I just (4:22 PM EST) checked Fox News' website. There is not a hint of any of what Trump is doing to Barr and the DOJ. Nothing!
2
Go get ‘em Super Trump. There’s criminals everywhere you look. Even in the mirror!
2
You know who’s been treated “unfairly “? The kids in cages. trump needs to stop his whining.
4
This is just theatre... sham... planed "disagreement ".
And their goal is more powers for a criminal president.
The result will be les justice for the people.
Simple as that!
2
'Clean House'? Whats next: 'Blood Oath'?
Six of seven signs that you are in a cult (https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/06/the-seven-signs-youre-in-a-cult/361400/):
1. Opposing critical thinking
2. Isolating members and penalizing them for leaving
3. Emphasizing special doctrines outside scripture
4. Seeking inappropriate loyalty to their leaders
5. Dishonoring the family unit
6. Crossing Biblical boundaries of behavior (versus sexual purity and personal ownership)
Sound like Donald Trump?
3
First one out the door should be Trump himself, who doesn’t belong in the Department of Justice for so many reasons. Then Barr.
3
Good bye to check and balances! Dictactorship In USA. To all republicans that know and do nothing you will be remembered as such.
2
Time for the State of NY to drag Trump and his family to court so when they get convicted, they don't get a pass from the old man.
1
Is this the part where Trump forces Barr out and gives the job to Rudy?
3
Remember when this happened?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Long_Knives
Hopefully when he means "clean house" the house of trumpers still live at the end.
Fellow Citizens: please; each of you can go to Justice.gov and White House.gov > Contact > Select "Other", First Line: "AG William Barr" and share your thoughts with a "middling" Civil Servant, who will annotate a topical log, and forward it upwards. Small consolation, but collectively it may cause some senior appointed bureaucrat to place the palm of their hand to their forehead and think, "What have we wrought?" Besides that, one can small dollar support democratic candidates to unseat Republican Senators in the upcoming 2020 election. "It's a Republic if you can keep it."
3
The fascinating thing about all this whining by Trump is that only the NYT and its readers are paying attention. His ability to dangle this crowd on the end of a string is masterful.
4
A salute from abroad to all the Republican Senators who voted to acquit Trump, you must be soooo proud.
2
Headline: "Trump Takes Up Call for Barr to ‘Clean House’ at Justice Dept...."
In as much as Mr. Trump has recently, (erroneously), called himself the senior, most 'justice' official in my country, I will agree with him for the first, 'N, last time:
Mr. Barr SHOULD clean up the justice dept., starting with Mr. Trump, 'cause...as, we all know: the fish rot's, from the head, down!
To paraphrase Game, 'O, Throne's 'seasonal' tag line: November's, coming...
2
Barr to Trump... “Look if you want me to be your guy, stop telling people I’m your guy”
5
Over and over reading stories like this I think of the scene in Rosemary's Baby when she wakes up from her drug-addled state mid-rape by Satan, encircled by the chanting cult - and she realizes 'this is not a dream, this is really happening.'
It began a long time ago; and it seems half the country is still sleepwalking.
4
The mad king courtesy of Senate Republicans.
2
Meanwhile over at FoxNews.com viewers are treated to a fight on The View; Mikaela Spielberg launches a porn career with support from her father, Steven; and tribulations of poor victim Rod Blagojavich. Nothing obvious about Trump's attempt to "clean house" at the Justice Department. Doesn't Trump get tired of always being a "victim"?
2
How rich! How ironic, that these men whose reputations as fixers/con artists/money launderers/( Barr the CIA/Contra protector and self-stylized drug lord & covert operative Robert Johnson) are crying this woe is me routine, & tarring America in as they trip over themselves and each other!
2
“I alone can fix it” - DJT, July 21 2016
3
And in the meantime, a British court is hearing testimony that Trump used Dana Rohrbacher aa a channel to offer Edward Snowden a "pardon or another way out" if he would deny that Russia had anything to do with the hacking of the DNC. (Of course, his spokesperson now denies that Trump knows Rohrbacher.) Good God, is there nothing that Trump will not stoop to? Trump is a criminal of the first order.
Donald Trump 'offered Julian Assange a pardon if he denied Russia link to hack'
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/feb/19/donald-trump-offered-julian-assange-pardon-russia-hack-wikileaks
3
To all members of Congress.
Your silence is deafening concerning the current and future wrath of your president lashing out at his actual and perceived enemies utilizing the judicial system. Sounds very familiar to the rise of facism in Germany. Don't get comfortable. You'll and your fellow senators will be in the spotlight soon when he disbands Congress. Don't laugh. He can do anything he wants now. Yours will be the last laugh of our republic since you had your chance to remove the president.
2
clean the white house too!
2
Don’t be fooled, they are playing good cop bad cop. Gmab
3
How much more of this nincompoop do we have to endure? Trump is the most ignorant, corrupt, dangerous, no-nothing president we've ever had to deal with. Makes Nixon look like a choir boy. He lost the popular vote, so a lot of electoral college members went against their constituents wishes to install him.
3
We need to clean (and disinfect) the White House.
2
Wrong Department. The WH needs a serious 2020 cleaning. Vote Blue Up and Down. Let's get rid of this absolute corruption that is 45* and his criminal cabal.
2
Every time someone in his administration quits/is fired, he reaches deeper into the cesspool to find a replacement who's even worse.
4
Barr is a coward who will not stand up to Trump by way of resignation.
2
THIS IS HOW DEMOCRACIES DIE!
It's well documented!!
The Resistance Must Ignite immediately!!
He's Trying to Completely Kill the Rule of Law!!
4
I suppose that only those willing to wear brown shirts will remain...
3
If you try to kill the King, make sure you don’t fail.
1
I suppose that Tom Fitton will replace Barr. Fitton will be perfect for Trump: unqualified, conspiracy-driven, prejudiced, vindictive, and a Tea Party stooge. Then there will be mass resignations and DOJ will be restocked with similar mean-spirited crackpots.
2
Long live the King! We have a despot in the White House right now.
2
We are now officially being governed by Fox News, the state propaganda, folks. Putin is laughing.
2
So Barr will resign then?
The Government has been taken over by a bunch of opportunist and paranoid facist. To put it politely, we're on the downslide.
4
So, impeach President Trump again for many illegal and unconstitutional transgressions. DJM
1
Historically, meglomaniacs are brought down by their own overreaching: Hitler, Hirohito, Napolean. It is just a matter of time. However, sadly, it is preceded by untold human suffering.
2
Aah, Trump the poor, innocent, humble, faithful, God-loving docile victim! Surely, even Jesus wasn't persecuted as much as poor Trump! Pooh, pooh....
2
Now the Erdogan style purges begin.
3
Republicans have heard so many times that Obama was corrupt but just not found out that they believe it - its the subject of every Fox News Opinion show since the day he was elected. Plus they can repeat the out of context quote from Eric Holder that he was Obama's "wingman" - they've taken that to mean that Eric covered up Obama's crimes that have not been discovered...yet. Anything so they don't have to acknowledge that he was an honest good president despite being black....
SMH....
4
Welcome to fascism as democracy has died in front of our eyes.
3
Wake up America only a few more months to enjoy our Democracy, before the dictatorship takes over......let’s enjoy our freedom while we can!
Where are they three stooges of Florida, Rubio, Scott and the governor more trump than trump Desantes? Maybe they are out applying for spinal implants!
1
I agree with Trump. This can ever happened to a president again — that any future president be able to gets away with these gross and repeated acts of terrorism against our Constitution, against our law enforcement and intelligence agencies, against refugees seeking asylum, and so on. We can never have a president again who uses the power of the office, and the federal purse, for his personal and personal political gain. And we can never have a Congress that refuses to hold presidents accountable for such actions regardless of political affiliation. It can never happen again.
Meanwhile, we watch this theater unfold. Barr is aggrieved by Trump’s tweets even as he enable them and continues to pursue a political agenda supporting Trump and he cronies. Barr made his job partisan in his actions following the Mueller report, in the sentencing recommendations for Stone, in his willingness to take materials from Giuliani, in opening up investigations into the investigations, in overly long investigation of McCabe, and in Barr’s speeches in front of organization such as the Federalist Society. The list is too long for list space.
What we see now is mere theater. It has no substance. Because you can be sure that Trump was already having these conversations with Barr. Now he’s just doing it in public. Maybe Barr is genuinely worried about his own legacy and credibility. To that I say to him, “That ship sailed long ago.”
4
@Karen We the people should demand a DoJ that is truly separate from the executive to the point of even voting for an AG separate from the president!
Or minimal make it a 10 year appointment like the head of the FBI.
2
Mr. Trump said, “I haven’t given it any thought.”
In other words, that's exactly what he's thinking about. And when, not if, when he pardons Stone, will any of Trump's Senate protectors say a word about Trump politicizing the justice department? I'm guessing our Senator Collins will be... 'concerned.'
As democracy USA disappears day by day, all we can do is wince and wait for November. And by now we know there be no peaceful transfer of power if Trump loses. And if he wins, Putin will have won.
3
Let's hope we do not have to witness two cantankerous billionaires tweet-fight each other for the title King of the Oligarchs because that is what Trump vs Bloomberg would be, and it's a win-win for the 1% billionaire/corporate investments crowd, and doomsday for the 99%. Both of these billionaires have "donated" hundreds of millions of dollars to both parties, to insure favoritism. They have both cultivated loyalty via buying lawmakers that push the legislation they prefer.
For me, I will be voting for Bernie Sanders, and if it is a billionaires slug-fest, I will turn off the TV and work on issues because the Trump vs Bloomberg would not matter in the big picture. Billionaires should NOT be able to buy the Presidency.
@mjpezzi I am sorry top pint this out by Bloomberg will bid by the law unlike Trump.
If Trump gets back in socialists like Bernie might end up in prison.
Under Bloomberg this will not happen.
There is only one solution vote Trump come what may even if you have to hold your nose doing it!
Trump vs Bloomberg- I take Bloomberg over 4 more years of Trump. Bloomberg has actually given lots of money to climate change and gun control. Bloomberg donates to charities while Trump steals from charities.
Bloomberg is not my 1st (2nd or 3rd) choice but I will vote for him over Trump.
2
This American President is dead-on correct.
A Democratic Party president knows to start politicizing the governmewnt in the liberal heavy trades, and the law is the most one-sdedly profession out there.
A survey of 600 Harvard professors did not find enough conservatives to make four for bridge not so long ago. Would the lives of Americans actually improve if one of Harvard's more violent minds creates a disaster removing the U. from the scene entirely?
Thus, the Dept. of Justice has been a hotbed of anti-Americanism since the Truman administration. Any effort to return the bureaucracy to its proper control for the benefit of average citizens can logically start at the DoJ - and State, of course.
Our bureaucracy answers to itself, and when the president happens to want the same things as the insiders have already decided, as with Mr. Obama, everything goes smoothly.
But when an outsider comes along, the deep state goes to war, and everyone knows it.
1
Your comments betray a basic ignorance of American Democracy and the Constitution it is based on. The American founding Fathers created a system of checks and balances between the Executive, Congress and the Judiciary to thwart the concentration of absolute power in any of the branches. What Trump and his enablers are arguing for is an Imperial Presidency. A King if you will. And these Trump enablers use conspiracy theories to defend Trump’s actions.
5
@L osservatore
Trump hired the people that caused his problems.
The only conclusion from this is that what Trump and associates did warranted this scrutiny.
Alternatively he is abysmal hiring manager.
Either way you cut it he is incompetent.
4
This is the first time in U.S. history that the country has had a completely corrupt and amoral demagogue in the office of the presidency.
And no legal recourse or constitutional mechanism exists - not even impeachment - to effectively hold the demagogue accountable when one half of the Legislative Branch chooses to enable that demagogue.
The vandalization of the foundations of our democratic republic continues apace, and it is on the heads of every congressional Republican and every Republican voter.
7
@Larry M: Second time, actually. Andrew Johnson is right up there. He was impeached and managed to survive as well; and went on to wreak havoc and vengeance that likely enabled the Jim Crow regime it took over a century to unwind - and whose toxic effects on American society we still endure.
1
".. leaving out details in (Mueller report) about the instances in which Mr. Trump may have obstructed justice."
Oh, really?
If there was evidence of obstruction of justice why didn't the house include those charges in their articles of impeachment?
I even word-searched the entire text of the impeachment articles for the words "Mueller report". You know how many hits I found? Zero.
That is evidence for something else -- a media driven conspiracy theory, and NYT is leading that charge.
@Bhaskar
This remind me of a lot of comments in Germany in the 1930s.
3
Trump is fast going off the deep end. Are we going to let him take us along with him? We need sanity to prevail. Right now we have unstable chaos in the form of Trump.
3
Let this be a lesson to all the die-hard idealists and Bernie-Or-Bust voters on the left. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good once again. Otherwise you will sink the nation's institutions, including helping create a hard right Supreme Court, while you clutch desperately to your ideal outcomes.
3
I recall T.S. Eliot said something about the folly of devising systems so perfect that no one needs to be good. The system of laws and policies needs to be good at its core, but the overriding need is to seek out and elect good people who will, in turn appoint or hire other good people. There is also a body of knowledge, or maybe it’s only lore, about the effectiveness of certain personality types in organizations. Experience taught many that putting an “idea person” at the top is rarely a good idea—they seldom make good managers, but their input is important somewhere in the high ranks of the organizational chart. It would be unfortunate to forget what we know about leadership when selecting our leaders.
I agree with Mr Trump in that he needs JUSTICE.
2
In order for dictators to stay in power they must have absolute personal control of all of Law Enforcement. trump knows that so hse is trying to force out anyone in the FBI who supports the US Constitution and the rest of our laws. Trump will replace the professional FBI with people who share his disdain for the Constitution and will be loyal only to Trump. The name that kind of government is "Police State." It is beginning to be more and more that the Republicans do want a right wing police state.
2
The Supreme Being has spoken. Now all citizens bow to his wishes. To resist is futile.
1
Look..this is a nice attempt by Democrats and the Establishment in DC to take out the AG before the Durham Report drops, but Barr has been to this rodeo before..as has Trump.
Best thing Bezos did by running that story was he guaranteed himself an Amazon breakup in the next 2 years.
1
Trump retweets that the "DOJ/FBI weaponized the awesome powers at their disposal to target the Trump campaign" so he intends to do the exact same thing, only to his own targets. If using the power of the DOJ/FBI against him is wrong, so is using that power against his enemies.
2
This is a staged spat between Trump and Barr with Barr providing his own cover. If Barr carries out Trump's order to clean house at the Justice Department it will just take the U.S. one step closer to becoming a banana republic.
2
"Mr. Trump said, 'I’m actually, I guess, the chief law enforcement officer of the country.'" Well, maybe he's right. Section 3 of article II of the Constitution says, in part, "[The president] shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed." And he's been doing a crackerjack job, no?
I just had an appalling thought: if Trumps loses in November, will he leave? If he leaves, what and who will he take with him?
I am fearful that this country will never be the same. For all its faults, what we were before Trump is far, far better than what will come.
3
BARR is a very dishonest man, judging from how he handled the Mueller investigation.
He simply does not want to be impeached like Trump. and PRETEND that he wants the DOJ to be independent.
1
The Reality TV President. Seriously—relax. What do you expect? Vote. He’s toast. And then...the Republicans will deservedly reap the whirlwind, while Trump fights prosecutors the rest of his life.
1
I really cannot take much more of this.
A volcano continuing spewing liquid corruption.
1
Vote Democratic, regardless of Frontrunner. Getting Trump out of the WH is priority no. one.
3
If I have learned anything over these past three nightmarish years, it is this: when Trump makes emphatic, almost histrionic statements, such as "clean house" or "it was a perfect call," he actually means the exact opposite. So when he tells Barr to "clean house," he really means that Barr should increase the criminality that he is implementing. And that "perfect call"--as we all know--had criminal intent.
1
This has got to stop. I think the time for the angry mobs to hit the streets in protest is past due.
2
The CORRUPTION at DOJ is Trump and Barr. Period. The only things to "clean up" are those two.
2
The New York Times is an excellent news source. I enjoy it. But why they would note trump's "tweets" and "retweets" is beyond me. And I'm smart.
1
POTUS is asking for trouble - pure and simple.
He should remember what his son in law said when they kept pushing immigration bans with flawed legal reasonings - "we should quit doing stupid things."
POTUS may think he wants future POTUS be protected.
But the problem is he will put the country thru another few months of Mueller, shamimpeachment investigations that gets nothing done except more lawyers get more money.
This is politics at its meanest levels where folks in DC settles scores.
If he thinks he is doing future POTUS a favor - let's be clear - future POTUS will still face political investigations.
Clinton was dogged from almost first year of his presidency with Whitewater to almost the middle of his second term - resulting in Impeachment.
This POTUS with these shenanigans is in all likelihood will be defeated this November as the country is getting increasingly tired of these antics.
His acquittal in Mueller and shamimpeachment should be the evidence that he was treated fairly by the system.
And I am a Republican who thinks POTUS is in a self destruction mode.
Trump will not take orders from Barr, nor should he. If Barr is not agreeable with Trumps management approach, he can go too. There are hundreds who will take his post. That is what we want from Trump.
@rich williams
No, what we want from Trump is for him to resign. He is a criminal.
The American people need to “clean house” at the polls in November! Including the house at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
You have to understand Trump’s pathology. He thinks he IS the United States. He thinks he IS the law. Therefore when you reject Trump, in his mind, you reject the country.
1
How absurd do things have to get, when POTUS puts four or five of the clowns that appear on Hannity regularly in charge of US policy.
It is time to seriously reconsider the 25th amendent.
In a perfect world, William Barr and Michael Cohen would share a federal prison cell where they could discuss if it was worth selling their souls to be shameless fixers and brazen henchmen for Donald Trump. But for now, Mr. Barr should do the American people a favor by following whatever is left of his conscience and resigning. Either way, his disgrace will be with him forever.
He only seems to willingly answer questions when he is obliged to scream over the roar of engines---he thinks it makes him look busy and important. They'll be having to bring the helicopter into the east room so he feels all warm and hateful.
So Donald. When are you going to suspend the congress and cancel the election?
Also, what date are you looking at to hold your coronation as the king of America?
Typically, when draining things one needs to drain from the bottom. This swamp needs draining from the top.
The house that needs cleaning is the White House. A very thorough cleaning.
Can state bar agencies move against the licenses of all attorney's in Congress who are allowing Trump's assault in our democratic institutions, the Courts, the Justices Department? And what about Barr's license practice law? He above all has engaged in serious ethical misconduct. Somebody has to have some courage here -- other than the bag guys.
Mr. Trump said, “I haven’t given it any thought.”
That goes without saying.
4
Raise the Barr, Mr. President.
So we can begin to distinguish justice from injustice again in our country, distinguish legal from illegal, and distinguish honest from crooked.
D.r.a.i.n
t.h.e
s.w.a.m.p.
“There must be JUSTICE. A president like this can never happen to our Country, again!”
2
Would love to see an en masse resignation of every single U.S. attorney across the country. Leave the service of your government and let it hang itself. It's completely corrupt.
@Scriabin
The difference is that Senator Collins is not Trump. I cannot answer why he gets away with thousands of mistruths. That is a riddle I cannot crack. I hope that there is a bluewashing of your entire political system come November.....
Thank you GOP for destroying our country. Oh well, it was fun whilst it lasted.
Getting rid of Bill Barr would solve most, if not all of the “problem” at the DOJ
Yes. Let’s clean house. The White House.
2
Can a secret police force be far behind?
2
Can nothing be done?
Will the GOP--will the United States of America--sit back, beguiling itself with the Oscars or the Superbowl--
--while Mr. Donald J. Trump demolishes law and order in this fair land of ours.
Oh sakes, New York Times! I am remembering the Presidential race of 1968--fifty two long years ago. The Republicans (and their star candidate, Mr. Richard M. Nixon) inveighed against what they called the forces of anarchy.
"Law and order" was the mantra. This when the years immediately preceding had been riven by race riots and what have you.
And yes. We want "law and order." Sure we do. I do.
BUT NOW, NEW YORK TIMES!--
--but now I want law and order--
--IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
The more I think about it, the worse it becomes. The President himself--a high public official charged with "seeing to it that the laws of the land are properly executed"--
--is himself riven with contempt for those very laws--
--and that immense Justice Department also charged with "executing the laws."
It's frightful It's awful. Does the man WANT to be impeached again?
Is there any other recourse--
--as today's GOP simply lies there, sluggish--inert--
--doing nothing?
Must WE do something?
And if so--
--what?
1
Bill Barr should save what is left of his dignity and self respect and resign. Trump destroys everyone who works for him sooner or later.
1
Barr sowed the wind a reaped the whirlwind.
1
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
2
Trump and his administration are working to destroy all remnants of the America envisioned by the founding fathers and replace it with an authoritarian regime.
Will America die without a fight?
2
This madness is to prepare us for Flynn,Manafort,and Stone getting pardons.
And the bringing on of further charges against Michel Cohen and Lev.
Can't forget indicting Hil.
Its a trifecta. He gets tons of media attention, he fires up his base and he instills fear in those wavering in support.
Oh for God's sake, speak up, Mattis, Kelly, Bolton, McMaster!!!!
1
Just imagine what kind of attorney general the US will get if Barr resigns!
Do Republicans know or remember that our President used to make fun of their party and probably still does....seeing how easily he swayed them to his rogue side? Even the ones who call themselves knowledgeable and smart must truly wonder who they really are or were.
They must now wear the most expensive suits thinking that my hide their stink.
1
Our country is burning down and the good people have to sit back helplessly and watch this president destroy everything good that we are. If you think you have seen the worst of this monster, think again.
Trump is following the predictable pattern of all demagogues. He's manipulated those who could check his power into giving him control, apparently because they believed they could control him. Any of them, Barr included, could have prevented this if only they had paid heed to the lesson of 1930's Europe. But they were too arrogant to see themselves as being played for fools.
Trumpland is an upside down world. Up is down. Criminal is Legal. Wrong is Right. Corrupt is Perfect. Frauds, cheats, and murderers are « heroes ». The most criminal of presidents in modern history gets a free pass from the Republican cowards in Congress but vociferously complains that the scales of justice are imbalanced. Well yes indeed they are, in his favor.
Please vote this sorry excuse for a man out of office.
1
Donald Trump is an incompetent criminal. Bill Barr is an accomplice and complicit with his actions. Barr can't get his genie back in the bottle. Senate Republicans can now sit back and watch the chaos they have created. Vote in November. We are in a constitutional crisis. There are no longer "what if scenarios". Its now a "what is" scenario.
Vladimir Trump.
Sounds even reasonable. Till you read Spencer Lewis.
Clean house, ha. Anyone that's left is a Trump guy. What's he going to do, fire all his people.
The most aggrieved man on planet earth comes up with yet more grievances.
Astonishing, but not unexpected.
Trump is a criminal mind. He is a sociopathic mind. He is a narcissistic mind. He is incapable of changing.
He must be removed in the election as the Senate has shown a backbone of quivering jelly. If that.
Trump will not stop. His deluded mind needs the succor of feeling wounded, cheated, treated unfairly.
He craves it, so much so, that even when he has a total lackey as AG, Trump simply can't control his impulse for more power, more acquiescence, more slavish loyalty. He is sick.
This man will stop at nothing. He is a clear and present danger to the future, of not only our nation, but the planet.
3
The only thing dirty at the DOJ is Trump's influence.
3
On July 14, 1934 it was revealed in public reporting that Adolf Hitler had perpetrated a "purge" of "disloyal" elements in his Nationalist Socialist Party. At least seven individuals were named in the reporting of purges performed with pistols, not pens. On Friday, July 13th the Fuhrer explained his actions by declaring that "The supreme court of the German people during these twenty-four hours consisted of myself." The deputies in the Reichstag rose and cheered.
I suppose one could make the argument that we are not "there" yet, but only because the weapons used in our own Putsch were not firearms.
It is not heartening to consider what is happening here.
Wonderful, another Soviet-style purge by the Supreme Leader.
Will Trump ask Putin for a "favor" to ship all his State Dept. enemies to Siberia?
Meanwhile, Senator Collins and the rest of her craven GOP stooges are "shocked, shocked" by Trump's latest dictatorial stunts.
America is on a race to get to November and vote out this monster before he declares martial law and anoints himself president for life, just like his bro Putin.
1
So many words and so much time wasted on this despicable miscreant and his well-publicized misdeeds. Wake me up when it's over.
Could Trump possibly be requesting cleaner cells for his circle at Federal penitentiaries?
1
Does Trump believe that civil servants, each of whom took an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States and who are protected by the Civil Service and Hatch Acts, serve at his sole pleasure and can simply be dismissed at his whim?
How ignorant IS he?
We are well into hall of mirrors up-is-down territory. Trump calling for Barr to clean house at the Justice Dept. Hahahahahaha.
In the 1930s lots of Germans were appalled by Hitler (who was never actually elected to any office). Some left the country (mostly Jews), some stayed and made excuses, others saw Hitler as the Supreme Leader and swore allegiance to him. But it took losing a war to drive Hitler to suicide.
Now, we have some people who are silent, knowing that Trump is a menace, and some who are his ardent supporters of him, personally. And others who are opposed.
Anything is possible, but until he is no longer in power, the damage to the country - especially as seen on the world stage - increases almost daily.
This story does not end well.
Why don't we "clean shop" at the White House?
No one doubts that vacuous Donald Trump hasn't given something any thought. He'd need at least two interconnected neurons to give something thought - and he has proven to be lacking that key prerequisite...
Tell Trump to Felix Ungar.
1
with the link.
I recommend listing to the whole exchange. It is both better and worse than reported. Make up your own mind. Interesting that all the Times pieces on this leave out the commiseration with Sanders regarding treatment by the establishment Democrats. 2016 redux.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plhxKCw2MZs
Trump has been shown that he is above the law. He can do whatever he wants and there is nothing that can be done. The president is above the law. This is how our democracy ends. With a reality TV star who seemed like a moron but was smart enough to take over and destroy our once great nation.
I wonder who Barr and Trump think they are talking to?
The base?: what would be the point, they're a given.
Republicans: Already in, even if silently yellow and fretful (collins)
Voters? : get real....they are not that dumb.
Or maybe it is just Putin's bidding......'let's really trash this country'
All a bit weird.
it's the White House that needs to be powerwashed & disinfected
This is Trump's MO, all approved by his enablers and voters at the "Republican Party" (a derision-inviting, scoff-inducing termif ever there was one).
Always have your thumb on the scales of justice so it gets you the outcome you want. Because, you know, in Trump World, you should NEVER have to deal with an outcome you don't like or want, right? Because, you know... you're a snowflake, a princess.
Meanwhile, just read this headline:
LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump offered to pardon WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange if he said that Russia had nothing to do with WikiLeaks’ publication of Democratic Party emails in 2016, a London court heard.
NYTs: please bring us the story. Trump is once again doing Putin’s bidding, in the background, while we’re distracted over the Justice Dept.
5
Given that the Senate will approve of anyone Trump nominates, I wonder who would be next for AG should Barr try to salvage his reputation (too late) and resign. Lindsey Graham? Sean Hannity? Cippolina? Seukolo? Jim Jordan? Matt Gaetz? Jared Kushner? Fun game to play!!
And so Trump's revenge and retribution tour continues.
1
I weep for my country.
2
A stable genius?
More like someone morphing from a democrat to dictator in a matter of days with barely any reaction other than silence and compliance from the rest of the species he belongs to.
It just goes to show , that all elections matter even if it is not by a simple majority of the popular vote.
13
Democracy is in its final inning. Once all the true patriots are removed from government, the criminals that replace them will never give up control, and we will have lost our freedom forever.
30
It's ironic that Trump's base are worried we'll turn out like a corrupt socialist Central American country while helping make us a corrupt, fascist banana republic.
1
At what point do we all travel to DC and protest in the streets to demand a stop to all of this? Is it after the election when he loses and refuses to leave the White House? It appears to be up to us, the People, to do something about all of this. If not us, who else?
37
@AJ Grass roots protest July 4th .Time to organise and a counter- attack on whatever Military extravaganza DT is planning!
1
It would certainly benefit us all if an organization were to request donations to organize a response to this outright assault on our democracy.
Getting a large number of people to travel to Washington is great idea, but the response needs to be larger than the space available in Washington will allow.
1
Years ago I bumped at a party into a retired lawyer, and told him how, in my court case (Overview Books v. US) judges simply invented their own bogus argument both for the government and myself, so as to decide against me -- which they would never have been able to do based just on the argument presented by my, and government's, lawyers.
He looked straight at me, paused and said: "the justice system is not designed to do justice. It has its purposes, but justice is just not one of them."
I did not ask him what those purposes were; but as to justice -- that certainly is not what our justice system is for. After so many appeals and re-filings, I know it for a fact. When I sued those judges for fraud -- replacing parties' argument so as to decide the case the way they want to, not the way they have to, being fraud pure and simple, the government argued that in Pierson v. Ray judges gave themselves the right to act from the bench "maliciously and corruptly."
Bizarrely, journalists refuse to cover the fact that federal judiciary -- the full third of US government -- is officially and proudly corrupt and malicious. My e-mails to journalists go unanswered, op-ed submissions get ignored.
Hopefully, Mr. Trump's plea that "There must be JUSTICE" with which this article began, will produce some effect. As someone who've seen how our federal judiciary really operates, and how underhanded it is, I can only wish Mr. Trump godspeed.
@Lev Tsitrin The Justice Department like all departments in government uphold and protect the status quo, essentially keeping the power where the power is, in control and in the money.
And that is exactly what Trump is doing, but to the nth degree. He wants his brand of justice, think oligarch rules and mob justice.
Now we are entering into the reign of terror enabled by Republicans, Wall Street, and their Television industry.
I just heard on NPR someone saying there are spies and terrorists in America. That is a traditional and worn out fear mongering by Republicans who can't handle freedom of speech. Everyone start writing and speaking even more.
Put the Republicans back in the Abyss from where they came.
13
I don’t think trump has ever cleaned house in his life. Not sure he would understand your metaphor. Or maybe he would, pay someone else to do it.
9
Trump said that the four prosecutors who quit the Stone case on a matter of principle were part of an “investigation that was illegal.” Trump has also categorized investigations into his conduct as illegal and a witch hunt. and has frequently criticized judges who presided over cases against his friends, campaign staff and associates.
By constantly attacking laws, prosecutions and judges who might hold him and his agents accountable, Trump effects the corrosion of our justice system. His pardoning of white collar criminals and others sends the same message, causing a devaluation of laws and sowing doubt that they they should be respected and obeyed.
Far from being a "chief law enforcement officer" Trump has become the chief corrupter of our laws and legal system.
How will the US teach its citizens that laws matter after four years of lawlessness?
12
This is all in the pattern for Trump. Cast doubt on the press, the justice department, and the FBI so that when his day of reckoning comes (he knows it’s coming)he can defend by claiming to be the victim.
9
During a recent long trip to Florida, I was surprised when meeting many people, from all walks of life, who said they had voted for Trump, but would not do so again. They viewed their past votes as either an "experiment" or a reaction against Hillary.
I can understand the experimenters, but am dismayed at the anti-Hillary vote casters. Nonetheless, things have turned out worse than ever expected and I can only hope that the "experimenters" wake up to the reality that they have wrought and turn around. We can not have a King in the White House.
14
I have a friend who is one of those “experimenters.” He said before the election, “Things can’t get any worse so we may as well roll the dice.” I told him, “You have no imagination. Things could be a million times worse.”
1
There's a double standard in the Justice Department alright.
They are heavily biased against criminals.
7
A number and a word:
25th Amendment.
10
As if anyone currently in his cabinet would turn against him.
Trump's victory lap may hurt him more than impeachment. He's now brought full daylight on his paranoia, ignorance, corruption, and lack of leadership qualities just before going into election season.
19
A United States president is sworn to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the US. Not be the law personified. How can any American contenance "purging" the justice department?This is the sort of thing that happened in 19th century politics in New York City which flipped back and forth between opposing party machines. At one point there were two police departments in NY, one operated by Tammany and the Metropolitans installed by Republicans in control in Albany. The two police forces actually fought one another in the streets. Trump's vision for America is corruption and chaos, not greatness
9
All the President knows how to do at this point is to entangle the entire justice department in a circular chase for his reality, his relentless pursuit of complete vindication and complete control. Other than Congress (but it would help if Congress did as well), lf every Federal judge and prosecutor, defense attorney in the country refused to go along with this charade of leadership, refuse to hear his cases, refuse to pursue his conspiracy theories, then Trump would be reduced to the screaming child that he is, with no one to obey his orders on his version of law..
8
Bill Barr is unfit to practice law--let alone be Attorney General--given his open contempt for the Constitution, rule of law and judicial system. Barr surely knows that by, among other things, his manipulating and misleading the characterization of the findings of the Mueller Report and pandering to Trump's conspiracy theories regarding the genesis of the 2016 Russia investigation, he is, in large part, responsible for unleashing Trump to pillage our judicial system and democratic republic. If he has any conscience or sense of honor to our nation and its vital institutions, Barr should resign immediately and speak out against Trump's actions. If he does not (which I expect, sadly), he should be impeached and removed, as well as lose his license to practice law.
16
Barr has had no intention of resigning. That story is carefully coordinated with Trump to stop rioting by the attorneys and others in the Justice Department. Any self-respecting Attorney General would have already resigned. I can't imagine anyone wanting to join the Department of Justice after Trump's tantrums. It's a wonder that they all aren't running for the hills.
13
"Remember that all through history, there have been tyrants and for a time, they seem invincible. But in the end, they always fall. Always.”
Mathatma Ghandi
8
Sure, but some tyrants die peacefully in their beds of old age. That is not justice.
1
One can never go wrong in quoting Maya Angelou: "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time." The Trump-bots who continually make excuses for this mad man seem to want to ignore Ms. Angelou's wisdom. In return, they, like everyone else who ever has any contact with him, get betrayed and run over eventually.
10
Such a dictator move. This man is sowing discord daily. He's surrounded by people that I would argue do not appreciate this country a whole lot. If so, how do they justify being silent?
5
The question is, does the GOP have any kind of line they are prepared to draw against unconscionable and illegal presidential behavior? Clearly not--vicarious power and self-interest rank far above integrity. You wonder how these people lie straight in bed at night.
5
“What is the precise moment, in the life of a country, when tyranny takes hold? It rarely happens in an instant; it arrives like twilight, and, at first, the eyes adjust.”
—Evan Osnos
8
This won't stop till Trump has driven out of government everyone who ever investigated or prosecuted Russian organized crime or espionage in the U.S. He is relentless in clearing a path for the expansion of Russian interests and influence in this country.
7
If Mr. Barr has a problem with the Administration, he needs to resign pronto. Words mean nothing unless you walk the talk.
8
Trump lives on creating chaos. And is he ever good at it. A spat between these two is like fighting with your own likeness.
3
People keep asking again and again how Republican Senators, particularly Susan Collins and Lamar Alexander who made those lame excuses for acquitting Trump, can look at themselves in the mirror. At this point in the horror show that is the Trump presidency the mirror must be saying, "I can't stand the sight of you. Go away."
4
For pete's sake Republicans are autocrats and authoritarians and were so before Trump. It's how we got Trump. Stop acting like someone at some point will say "enough".
All that's happening suits them. They don't deserve America.
6
Instead of just wringing hands and talking about how "scary" and "dangerous" all this is, why does not someone (someone like, say, Mr Conway) sue to stop it?
3
What are we going to tell our children? That we sat by and let our great democracy be hijacked by a narcissistic reality TV personality for personal gain? There is something fundamentally wrong with our country that someone like Trump can wreck it in 3 years. The place we find ourselves in was years in the making. Trump is an extension of the greed and corruption that has plagued this country for decades. It’s going to take more than an election to fix what ails this country. I just hope it’s not too late.
3
Hello Police state. I am the law. He attacked the judges, so in his next term he will keep destroying the separation of power. Keep saying it can't happen here, keep saying it.
7
So trump call Barr’s bluff and Barr folded as usual! Once he started crossing moral lines, he was not able to distinguish this moral line from the others
2
Looks like an effort to purge for power and gas lighting to me.
3
President Erdogan survived a coup in Turkey and used it as an excuse to purge the government (including civil service and universities) of anyone who may oppose him. Trump following his example.
One recent article on Erdogan: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/21/world/asia/erdogan-turkey-courts-judiciary-justice.html
5
@Atllaw All true, except that Trump just imagined that being investigated for crimes is a coup attempt.
Where are all the 2nd Amendment folks that blather on about gov overreach???
Rhetorical question, of course. They are only about their narrow interest, and never about the nation at large.
5
It would be helpful to have a 'chief law enforcement officer' who knew how to read, might be even remotely familiar with the Constitution and, oh, respected the Rule of Law. Lucky us; we get Trump. What a disaster!
3
Without any doubt or question the most corrupt President we have ever had. History books will not be kind to the Donald. Nice 'legacy'.
3
Watch the Assange case in London, Trump offered him a pardon if
Assange denied Russia involvement in The Wikileaks leaking of DNC documents.
Clean up the Justice Department?
Start at the top.
Get rid of Barr and find a person who will defend the Constitution and the rule of law.
Oh, I am sorry. People who would defend the Constitution are not the kind of people Trump would nominate.
3
The dictatorship has arrived - and is taking over with viral speed!
Democrats are telling everyone that voting will solve everything . It won’t. By the time of the elections, it will be far too late.
Dictatorships NEVER go quietly. They can only be resisted. Sadly, Democrats are doing nothing.
2
We’re going to clean house in November!
2
Are our elected officials so afraid of losing their legislative seats? Really? Are their lives without the government so worthless that they would be reduced to quivering cowards, rather than stand up to Public Enemy Number One?
2
I wonder where we are at right now on the "frog in a slowly heating pot" scale?
2
Pardoning criminals, abusing women, mocking war heroes, making fun of the disabled, lying about his tax returns, threatening and bullying anyone and everyone who stands up to him, trampling over the Constitution, violating his oath of office. What will it finally take for his staunch supporters and the feckless GOP lackeys led by McConnell to finally call him on his illegal, dangerous and dictatorial antics? Won't ever happen with the aforementioned so the people of this Country have to vote in record numbers to rid the land of this despot - another Trump term will see the demise of our democracy.
5
But in order to restore sanity in our government we need to hold the house and win the senate.
1
Uh-oh. The handwriting is on the wall -- there is going to be plenty of illegal activity to bring about Trump's re-election and he and Barr want to be sure DOJ keeps hands off.
2
Mr. Trump wants to clean the Justice Department of any employees who place their obligations to country and constitution above their obligation to serve the current power-mad narcissistic president. The failure of the Republican senators to convict this criminal president was a shot of adrenalin to his narcissism. He now believes that there are zero constraints on his power. It's time for those who make excuses for Mr. Trump, or who don't think this matters, to wake up. Mr. Trump intends to be a dictator, and consign what's left of the rule of law to the scrap heap of history, a history that reveals all the power mad dictators and authoritarian regimes that have gone before.
4
Strongly suggest, that anyone with a brain, read the Constitution. Pay close attention to “we the people”.
It’s up to us at the end of the day. Always has been.
Congress doesn’t care. They’re only interested in themselves.
WE THE PEOPLE SOLVE THIS PROBLEM!
It’s “them” or “us”. Again, it always has been.
My God, we need to save ourselves.
1
Give me a break! Or should have resigned last week.
He’s trying to poison the idea of truth and justice to avoid being arrested the say he leaves office.
Putin’s playbook - Nothing is True and Everything is Possible.
Dictator 2.0
1
It is time to draw up new articles of impeachment against Trump, and probably time to draw up some against Barr. Trump is a historically awful president. Becoming the first president to be indicted twice seems fitting.
4
I agree with the President. Clean house at DOJ... start with Barr. Let's get a real professional in there with a strong sense of ethics and a personal reputation they care about.
2
Unfettered as a post-impeachment after-effect.
OMG, what to expect should he get four more years.
1
End the Republican Party and ban Fox News. That's pretty much the solution to all of this.
5
There is a conspiracy in branches of the government and that is to remove an amoral, unethical and incompetent president. He isn't above the law he simply doesn't believe in the law. He doesn't know right from wrong. He has no moral compass. Yes, there is a conspiracy Donald and it is to use all legal methods available to oust you from the WH.
1
If you think this is bad just wait and see what Trump does between November and January if he loses.
4
Does Trump EVER put in an honest day's work?
3
The best way to do this would be for Barr to pursue Obstruction of Justice charges against Trump. It is the sewer that Trump has created at the Outhouse, oops, White House that needs cleaning up.
2
Trump is going through the Dictator's Playbook, line by line, and his party is complicit.
3
This is all an act.
Our wannabe dictator shows no signs of backing off. This upcoming election is sooooo important.
1
The Justice Department isn't the "shop" that needs to be cleaned. The White House is.
2
A.G. should resign or be impeached. He brings shame on our beleaguered Judicial system, as does the President himself.
The farm wife turns off the TV evangelist
by Shari Wagner
The Jesus I grew up with
likes to be outside.
If he's not fishing, he's picking figs
or showing us his mustard crop.
He prefers dusty roads, the common sparrow,
and lilies of the field.
When he knocks on your door
holding a lantern, you know it's time
to buckle on overshoes
and go with him to feed the sheep.
But this preacher, who looks straight
into the camera and claims he knows
Jesus, says what he wants
is for me to believe in him
so he can come inside.
That sounds shifty to me.
Like a wolf with his paws dipped in flour.
Jesus who heals the blind
said we will know a tree by its fruit.
From The Farm Wifes Almanac. Dream Seeker Books, 2019
All countries eventually crumble one way or another. They may re-emerge, but quite differently.
What we are witnessing is the demise of the United States as a free country based on a rule of law.
We are regressing toward a frontier mentality with an unchecked strongman at the helm.
It reminds me of the Arizona Territory of the 1870s.
The country will endure, but as what?
529
@John Harrington I couldn't agree with you more. I've tried to maintain that we will survive 45, we may be different, but we will survive.
The damage 45 does keeps building.
51
@John Harrington Arizona Territory was more civilized. A person's word was honored.
35
@John Harrington it may endure in name, but it feels like the USA is kind of finished.
35
It certainly is time to "clean house".
Trump and his GOP enablers in Senate and House, for starters.
There is little can be done v'v their enablers in the electorate, other than overcoming their numbers at the ballot box.
52
@Barry C:It extremely rare for Americans to stick with a political agenda that takes more than six years to overturn the Senate.
Trump is the LAW. Trump is not above the law. Trump is the LAW.
Why? He says so and the Republicans seem to agree. This country could not survive its form of government with four more years of MAGA and associates.
59
It seems pretty clear that Trump is trying desperately to combine his fake news with the highest law enforcement in the country. He wants a special prosecutor to investigate the investigation of him. He wants his political rivals investigated, no matter how thin the pretext for it. He wants to explore every conspiracy theory that strikes his fancy. And we’re footing the bill. And we have absolutely nothing to gain from this utter pollution and corruption of the Justice Department. We’re dangerously close to not being able to trust the fundamental integrity and independence of our federal law enforcement and of the integrity of elections. Without those two things, where are we as a country? November feels much too far off. Feels like we’re careening every more quickly towards disaster.
36
This is why I'm a single-issue voter on anti-corruption measures. Trump has already done so much damage to our institutions, and now that he's off the impeachment hook he's doing it at a breakneck pace. If he's reelected, there won't be much of our system left by the time he's finished with it.
39
Trump is right that he is our chief law enforcement officer. That makes it all the more frightening that he shows no respect for the Constitution's checks and balances (despite his oath of office) and seems bent on converting the Justice Department into a tool for political favors and retribution. Let's send him into retirement this November.
19
I thought the Attorney General was the chief law enforcement officer?
I would sure like to know what Chief Justice Roberts is feeling about all these attacks on our judicial by the President? After all he had to sit there in the pseudo impeachment trial listening to overwhelming evidence of Trump’s guilt while enduring the Republicans weak rebuttals and refusal to call any witnesses. Makes one wonder how he will vote when the issue of Trump’s financial discloses come before the court?
39
@Vito: Roberts is an appointee of abortion politics. Abortion of the whole court system is well along now.
2
I think Chief Justice Robert's is under the illusion that things are normal and he has to maintain standards of decorum and impartiality when the legislative and executive branches are at issue. Thing is, things are NOT normal, and Trump is COUNTING on Mr Chief Justice pretending that things are normal. That means John Roberts is a nothing in any effort to maintain respect for the law. News for the Chief Justice: the day is coming when Donald Trump will defy a court order and turn his MAGATs on the courts. And of Roberts dares to take action then, it will be too late. To erts is playing it straight as Trump works hard to dismantle the American justice system and make himself the law.
With all of Trump's business flim-flams and skirting the law, HE'S the guy who has skirted past being prosecuted over the years. And now he's gonna make sure HE can do a thing he wants and others like him--rich, power, and oligarhical, will be able to cheat, steal, lie under oath, or anything else illegal and not be held accountable.
oh, but Chief Justice Robert's will get an A in traditional expected legal decorum while democracy lies in its newly dug grave.
1
@Vito Do you really need to ask?
2
We are now an Autocracy. What are the Republicans going to do about it? What are we, the people, doing about it? What more can the Fourth Estate shoulder on their own? Once this instills itself in the collective consciousness, there is no turning back.
17
It will be interesting going forward to see who stands up for freedom and who doesn't. People in this country have taken freedom for granted. George Orwell mentioned in one of his last essays, before he died of tuberculosis finally, that a country can have all kinds of laws on the books; but essentially they have no meaning unless people, the citizens of a country stand behind those rules and laws.
Who will stand up for what we all know to be right?
25
While I am not a big fan of Mr. Trump's personality and style I have held my nose because I agree with many of his policies. I can however not abide by his attacks on DOJ---and he is about to lose my November vote. The man doesn't know when to shut up. True, he was unfairly hounded by Democrats for so-called Russian collusion and the impeachment was even more partisan Tom Foolery, but attacking the federal agency which is responsible for law and order and justice unfairly may well be the turning point for voters like me.
10
@Oracle at Delphi No, it won't. The others are too far gone.
@Oracle at Delphi That you consider the attempted extortion of a foreign leader for personal gain by a US president "partisan tomfoolery" really does render your opinion meritless. I'm sorry, but it just does!
2
@Oracle at Delphi .... "I agree with many of his policies."....I think he has been a disaster so when someone says they agree with many of his policies, I am genuinely puzzled. It would help (me and perhaps others) if you would explain what policies you agree with.
1
Like Nancy Pelosi said: "All roads lead to Putin". Despite his massive ego, I highly doubt that Trump could orchestrate such a quick destruction of our democratic institutions without some outside help. And that help is coming from Russia. I have no doubt in my mind that Donald Trump is compromised by Vladimir Putin, an ex-KGB agent who found an easy mark in our President. We're still waiting to hear about the counter-intelligence investigation that the FBI opened on Trump over three years ago and it should be very interesting to see what they found, if it ever sees the light of day.
15
@MarkK. Didn't Don, Jr. admit that they get a lot of their money from Russia since no American bank would lend them money? He owes Russia big time.
1
A few thoughts:
* Mr. Trump is feeling emboldened coming to his rally here in Phoenix. FYI -General Kelly is also in town speaking. Mr. Trump will do anything to take away the attention from that event. Sadly, he does not realize that most Arizonans can’t wait to vote him out.
* Outside of Fox News, there is no other company that has been more complicit in amplifying Mr. Trump’s message than Twitter. Not sure why they don’t face the same scrutiny as Facebook. Congress, why not call Mr. Dorsey in to question him about their practice of not accepting political ads. Outside of the exchange of monies, letting Mr. Trump sell his false narrative thru Twitter is no different than a political ad.
21
After reading many of these comments I could not find one which gets to the bottom line. You can complain about Trump to be sure, however, he’s simply reflecting the American people.
This is who we are! Maybe more consideration should be given to his enablers; us.
3
That may be who you are but that’s not who I am so don’t speak for me.
1
You are correct. And it’s why I think Bloomberg’s policies and their underlying racism and sexism when he was mayor of NYC may actually be a positive for many of the Trump voters. The racism and sexism without the crazy for some of the voters who are tired of Trump. It’s not how I feel, but I can’t ever vote for another Republican on any governmental level.
1
@Lunar I agree and would add that enablers are more like 43% of us according to 538. (The rest of us are waiting for a tipping point - an event, candidate or leader who represents the way out.) Much of this group seems to have bought into ultra-conservative propaganda that exploits their fear and rage over their shredded "birthright" and imminent minority status. Get a homogeneous group to resent plausible competitors for jobs and education - and you've won. They've successfully demonized women, immigrants, unions, Jews, Muslims and of course liberals, among others. Where to start?
1
Perhaps one of the recently pardoned criminals can be appointed to some key "justice" positions?
They are overly qualified by Trump's standards.
6
Can Trump appoint himself acting AG? I'm almost afraid to pose the question.
6
"I haven't given it any thought" Trump on the possible pardon of Stone. Isn't that true of almost all the decisions he has made as President???
32
Many of the sage voices here who have weighed in on the subject of Trump's tyrannical impudence also decry Senator Susan Collins's now infamous moment in which she said the rogue president "learned a lesson" from his impeachment trial acquittal: the underlying meaning of her dunderhead assertion being that, henceforth, Trump would be a good boy.
Collins deserves the outrage and jokes that are sticking to her like tar and feathers for the very reason that her veritable praise of Trump encapsulates the vile problem of her party: which is that these 21st-century Republicans -- every single one of them -- are Utterly Devoid of conscience, prudence, and virtue.
They are nothing more than lemmings mindlessly content to follow their king over the cliff.
21
@Ken She's well-paid to pretend to be that stupid (e.g., Kavanaugh learns from precedent). Probably many of the other lemmings are too. Look at ALEC's membership list to see the industry-legislator connections.
I heard the term of seditious from Trump supporters characterizing people not supporting the president.
In the US sedition is not disloyalty to the president. Sedition is disloyalty to the constitution.
27
Why did Trump bother at all to swear an oath to uphold the Constitution? Trump's idea of building is laying the path for legalized treason and sedition. He'll be the host with the most among convicted white collar criminals, and those crawling along the same path.
The cave dwellers have united, and the downtrodden will be trampled.
Do you hear the call to lift more and more reasonable regulations?
The meek will inherit the bootprints of the wealthy.
5
Everything we let him get away with gives him permission to get away with more. See "On Tyranny" by Timothy Snyder.
6
We are at a precipice. Right wing news media, run by an Australian who could care less about the United States and it’s fancy ideas, have created an alternate universe where truth is optional, and ignored if it runs counter to the conservative agenda. Conspiracy theories abound. Our leaders are corrupt and self-dealing. The rule of law has been corrupted, our way of life is threatened. When do we just label the US for what it’s become? A dictatorship with a lunatic calling the shots!! All of this, and there’s actually a chance Trump can be re-elected! Swing state voters will not vote for a Bernie, yet Democrats seem intent on giving Trump and his allies what they want: a battle royale against socialism. God save us.
17
Is there no limit to the legal debauchery being exhibited by Trump? Frankly, I have to lay this at the feet of Speaker Pelosi, who pushed ahead with Impeachment knowing full well the Senate would acquit.
Now we have Trump emboldened in a way that exhibits his worst instincts come to life. A wounded Trump would have been far less dangerous than one who can claim vindication and exact his revenge to the howling approval of his adoring Nascar/WWF fans.
1
I don't care about Trump's histrionics, but I do care about the results - especially the "BIG" results of moving the US away from Obama apologies and do gooders (at someone else's expense)!
@JePense What results? Everything..EVERYTHING he has done has failed!!!
Foreign..N KOREA - more missles than ever; IRAN..given a free hand to pursue nukes..NOW; UKRAINE - impeachment..forever; CHINA - what is the definition of easy? e.g. trade wars are EASY to win..paying farmers $25 billion or so to make up for that failed policy?
Domestic..lower individual taxes, that end before corporate breaks, resulting in a trillion dollar deficit (25 Cents of every tax dollar goes towards the interest on HIS debt); immigration - kids in cages and midwest farmers who claim their best workforce is being held at the border; stagnate salaries; plant closings across the country; and on and on and on.
1
@JePense ...You need to explain that. Obama treated the office with respect and dignity Trump has not. Obama was viewed by the rest of the world as a knowledgeable and competent leader. Trump is viewed by the rest of the world as a dangerous clown.
2
If this is truly the road that this president is heading down the citizens of this country should be terrified.
11
I’m ready to get my passport in order, and move to another country. I don’t recognize this America, nor do I want to. I am thoroughly traumatized by this “president.” I will never forgive the Republican GOP for allowing this vindictive, small-minded, tyrant to wreck havoc on the American people and their values.
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We look more and more like a dictatorship than a democracy every day.
10
This sounds like world wide wrestling--a fake fight that provides entertainment for the masses. Trump, at least, knows that business well.
1
Reminds you of the old professional wrestling bouts doesn't it. Only people who think it's real are not too clever children.
1
Want to stop Mr. Trumps bad behavior, force him to show his tax returns. That would be the one thing that might show his followers the crook he is and might spell the end of him.
21
I don't have any sympathy for Barr. Both Trump and Barr belongs to the same gang. If you violate the gang rules, your head will be on the platter.
7
Justice, here, would be the removal of trump.
8
Barr is toast. The next Attorney General will be Rod Blagojevich. That's why Trump sprung him from jail.
5
In for a penny, in for a pound, Mr. Attorney General. You have crossed the Rubicon into the Trump Executive apparatus and conceded your integrity, a move which takes years to regain.
I’m afraid you must continue to dance with the one who brought you.
6
Does anyone have the cell phone number for James Bond?
5
"Cleaning House" is an effort to remove the Whistleblower from the administration, whomever they may be. Trump wants no one with ethics, morals, ideals, honesty and truthfulness around him. All who surround him must laud Trump's deviousness, corruption, idiocy and downright meanness. Barr seems to have employed the tactic of going along with Trump in order to keep his job, despite any personal ethics he may have. The only reason we should want him to stay is the considering the character (or lack thereof) of the person that will be nominated to replace him.
3
New Yorkers who own homes in the Hamptons should let Lee Zeldin know that he does not represent your interests. Zeldin represents Trump's not yours.
4
What I want to know is where is democratic leadership in all of this?! It's time to bring the "sheriffs" back in full force. Warren is right : the dems should go after Barr and cut-off the funds for the various "investigations" he has instigated on behalf of our unhinged, and highly corrupt president. (Just recently Barr has hired an outside prosecutor to investigate all things related to Ukraine.) Barr should be impeached for turning the DOJ into a political grudge squad for Trump and right wing causes. And Trump – well he should be impeached again. The abuse of power and contemptuous assertions that he's making right now "L'Etat Et Moi"and "I'm the chief law officer of the country." highlight just how truly disturbed Trump is, and his recent list of commutations and pardons reads like a who's who of some of the most corrupt white collar criminals in the last 40 years. How's that for abusing power to curry favor in your re-election bid! Shame doesn't begin to describe what Barr, McConnell, and senate Republicans have unleashed. They've set a bomb off on Capitol Hill and set the case holding our Constitution on fire. "...crime, corruption, autocracy & Russia"
as Maxine Waters said, the new Republican Party.
6
Our country is a dying empire, and the American people don't appear to have the courage or zeal to save it.
If the empire's situation was a movie script, the plot would be a greedy, crass, egomaniacal white collar criminal, serial adulterer, and self-confessed sexual predator who wins the presidency and uses the executive branch they way a mob boss would.
"Cleaning house at the Justice Department" is a Putin and Stalin strategy. It's a purge of people loyal to ethics and the constitution, in favor of those loyal to the mob boss.
This movie is real, and has a very sad ending.
Prepare to cry.
8
A spine takes some time to grow. Barr is going nowhere.
3
I suppose Harvey Weinstein has been treated very unfairly too, Mr. President.
3
When Trump fires Barr I'm sure he can get Arpaio or Blogojevich to work for him.
4
The house that needs a good cleaning is the one at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
12
I recommend listing to the whole exchange. It is both better and worse than reported. Make up your own mind. Interesting that all the Times pieces on this leave out the commiseration with Sanders regarding treatment by the establishment Democrats. 2016 redux.
Comrade Trump is ordering a purge. The Republican Party really needs to change its name name if Republicans are going to continue to support this despot.
9
Clean house! I need and plan to deal more lies and dirt.
'm wondering whether trumpski ever speaks directly to anyone -- including people within his own administration -- instead of broadcasting to all and sundry by public tweet?
14
As we can see, an overwhelming majority of the NYT readers think change is needed at the top, and will vote accordingly. But, the election will not be won by NYT readers, or by the voters of like NY, CA, or MA. It will be up to the voters of OH, MI, WI, and PA. So far it looks like it it will be overwhelming electoral victory for Trump.
11
Really? Not according to the polls I’m reading.
5
Basing that assessment on what exactly?
4
@Fellow traveler Not so fast...
1
Just kind of "JUSTICE" exactly is Trump demanding for himself?
For crying out loud, he was acquitted.
Is he expecting to be crowned king now?
It never ends with this guy.
27
@Marge Keller: Trump won't have to worry about impeachment for the rest of his term(s) anymore. Every House inquiry of the Executive must be litigated to the Supreme Court now.
1
@Steve Bolger
Good point Mr. Bolger.
1
@Steve Bolger where does it say that in the constitution??
Of course he wants Barr to clean out the professinal, moral, competent, patriotic civil servants and attorneys in DOJ - they won't do his bidding and if he strips the various departments of the government of their competent professionals, there will be nobody to challenge his actions. And, of course, it means that a lot of collective memory will be lost and therefore unavailable to anyone who might come after him, leaving only the hacks. It is a scorched earth approach and it ensures mediocrity at best. This is not draining a swamp - Trump's actions are creating a swamp filled with creatures willing to do anything he asks of them. What a terrible legacy and what a dreadful insult to the career professionals who are demoralized or fired by his incompetent and mean-spirited management.
23
This is what happens when an entire political party cowers in the face of presidential insanity. The scariest part is seeing how weak our political system is, proven out.
41
@Wally...You're absolutely correct, and because of it, no one should be allowed a full career in politics...NO ONE. Like many, MANY things, we've been talking term limits for 50 yrs, with zero action. We've got a cataclysm going on under our noses, and we have no one blame but ourselves.
5
How would term limits change anything when half the country wants a fascist dictatorship? Trump is not a career politician and he’s had only one term, yet he has almost irreparably damaged our government and social fabric. Term limits mean nothing when we have a sick society.
2
@kstew Not that I don’t agree, but this damage has been done by someone who is not a career politician. So simply not allowing lifers to stay in politics won’t save us.
1
does trump realize that a majority of the senate agreed the house had proven the case against him?
does he grasp that his assault on the bidens was the real witch hunt?
10
Slightlycrazy, no, a majority of the Senate did not agree that the House had proved its case against the president. He was found not guilty by a majority vote.
"Clean house." Another expression for political purges. Just another autocratic move by Trump. He knows he is now limited only by his imagination and the laws of physics.
So let's fast forward with the "cleaning house". As he strips dedicated career public servants of their positions and their livelihoods, no decent person will want anything to do with such a regime. Those few decent people remaining in this government need their jobs -- they have sick family members, or any number of other serious problems -- and so they remain silent.
So now what we have are federal employees who must show fealty to Trump personally, and rubber stamp anything he does. They will pay a serious price if they don't. And it is not just public servants. Trump has threatened a juror who served on the Roger Stone case - a private citizen who did not "sign up" for the task assigned.
This means that any one of us could be his targets, as he continues to "clean house". Speak out against him, and your Republican neighbor hears you? Expect a knock at your door by his armed goons.
Think we're so far away from this? We are already at the point that Democratic voters in Red states dare not put Democratic political signs in their yards, for fear of vandalism at best, and hate crimes, at worst.
No, this "house cleaning" will get a lot uglier before it is stopped. The only question remaining is how many more of us will be Trump's targets until then?
14
Trump is now so out of control and so emboldened by this acquittal, it's going to be impossible to stop him from wreaking havoc, every day, every where, and on every one who attempts to challenge him.
Republicans, you have created this nightmare called Trump.
25
Trump isn't going to stop tweeting and interfering. And Barr isn't going to resign. They're made for each other.
18
It is too late for Barr to salvage his reputation, but perhaps a well written resignation letter might help to save his soul (not my call to make).
5
I need to check whether the running tally of lies and distortions that the Washington Post is chronicling includes the following whopper: "Asked about pardoning Mr. Stone after the president granted clemency to several white-collar criminals on Tuesday — decisions he said were made based on advice from friends and business associates — Mr. Trump said, “I haven’t given it any thought.”"
6
I think those undocumented meetings with trump where actually tutorial sessions. HOW TO BECOME LIKE ME,Vlad.
5
Lee Zelden is the representative of my district. Voting in November to try to change this sad fact yet again.
4
Barr laid down with a dog and is surprised he woke up with fleas? How anybody could not have seen this coming leads me to downgrade my estimation of the average person's intelligence. Trump will do more damage to the USA than any foreign enemy ever did. The GOP senators may have a little time left to save the Republic, but nothing in their performance thus far suggests to me that they will.
8
Mr. Barr,
If you are truly concerned about the US and the Justice Department, per se, then please resign and leave your role. While doing so leave a roadmap for Congress to follow to stop the damage that Mr. Trump is doing. You are "damaged goods" from the perspective of most Americans. If you were "damaged goods" in the eyes of Mr. Trump he would certainly fire you. Please consider this to be my request that you fire yourself in view of the fact that more people think you are enabling a despot and need to go than the number of people that think you should say. This would be tantamount to allowing the American people to fire you. Go find something new to do that is a lot more fun and less political.
5
How can anyone support Trump especially the whole GOP? He is trying to turn the country into a banana republic where anyone in government that is against him is fired. The GOP seems to love this however wait till a Dem president try this and they will howe
6
The only thing that will stop Trump from attacking the Justice Department and the respectable men and women who keep law and order is to vote him and every Republican that has emboldened his criminal behaviour out of office. Yes we need to 'clean shop' and send them packing.
13
Meanwhile on the official Trump/Fox News Network they are featuring a dustup on "The View" as the big news of the day. The second biggest story is actually quite interesting and involves an alleged pardon offered by our very stable genius President in his wise wisdom:
"A London court on Wednesday heard claims from Julian Assange’s lawyer that President Trump offered to pardon the WikiLeaks founder if he said Russia was not behind the massive leak of Democratic party emails during the 2016 presidential campaign." (Foxnews.com)
4
Sure, bullies seem fine... until you're the next victim. We are witnessing firsthand the paradox of tolerance.
2
“Asked about pardoning Mr. Stone after the president granted clemency to several white-collar criminals on Tuesday — decisions he said were made based on advice from friends and business associates — Mr. Trump said, “I haven’t given it any thought.”
Sure, nothing’s decided yet, he’ll have to see what happens. Only there was a report elsewhere today that he’s offered a pardon to Julian Assange if he’ll say the Russians didn’t hack the Democrats’ server. Putin must be twisting the thumbscrews. The deference he gets from the press is nauseating though I know they have to remain professional.
Most American citizens live by the rules under which we are governed. The president does not. His party could stand up to him and insist he stop his corrupt behavior. They will not. This is unacceptable. He is a vicious man who is openly destroying all the progressive achievements of those who came before him. He hates President Obama and knows he can never measure up to him. Nor will he be as well thought of. If he wins reelection it will be through devious means. His legacy will be that he was the very least accomplished person to occupy the Oval Office
4
Mr President,
“This” won’t happen to other Presidents if they are not as corrupt as you. If they are we must have a way to remove them from office. Otherwise how are we different from the worst banana republican?
5
Trump is taking us down a scary path from which the country may not recover. This is more than a little alarming. What is the best way to combat this? He now has full sway in the election - including illegal foreign intervention and Justice department "investigations leaks" - real or imagined, against any perceived foe. Impeach again? This is Abuse of Power on Steroids!!!!
5
The Trump attempt to become America's Putin will come to a head when he defies the eventual SCOTUS decision that he must release his financial information, etc..
That information will prove why he is Putin's puppet and he will attempt to make sure the American people never see it. The total corruption of our democracy is close.
5
Our country will not survive 4 more years of this.
11
@PK. You are exactly right. The country, as we know it, will cease to exist if king Donald wins a new term. So what happens when it’s too late?
The Congress is useless. They’ll do nothing but pontificate garbage and meaningless drivel.
Apparently, the military is beholden to Trump. Useless? They’ll not stand up to him, or will they? Doubt it.
Guess it’s up to the people.
Revolution?
Civil war?
Put up or shut up time is rapidly approaching.
Could never happen here, right?
We’ll see.
Trump is going completely off the rails. He is now neck-deep in a swamp of his own creation--a swamp of lawlessness and corruption. Yet millions continue to support him, many of whom are being directly harmed by him. The guy may not know much about governing, international politics, ethical behavior or running a legitimate business, but I have to admit, he is a master con man.
6
I would like to see William Barr perform his appropriate duties as AG until Donald Trump feels the pressure to fire him.
2
For real.
Don Trump was just named starting quarterback for the New England Patriots. Tom Brady replaces Bill Barr at the DOJ. Bill Barr said it was time for him to go back to being with his grandchildren.
1
Trump once again is the headline, and not the Democratic debate tonight. The Times (and other news media) hs to put him and his tweets below the fold otherwise we surely will have 4 more years (maybe even more) of Trump unleashed.
Ignoring is not an option, but download playing what he tweets is. The news media is giving him a platform for his unsatiable power, vengence and and total disregard of the rule of law.
5
Just watched Rachel Maddow's show. A.G. Barr has decapitated our system of law and order. He's fixed it so that only his specially picked investigators can investigate Ukraine. Barr also signed an edict that only HE personally will decide who gets investigated. Barr should be fired - he is not working for the United States of America, he works only for Trump.
6
The other day few thought that my comment on what the appropriate title for Himself should be now that He is no longer President, having been elevated by Senate to a person who is not constrained by law, rule, or tradition.
It is more and more relevant every day because soon we may be required to address him as Your Highness, HRH, etc. as it befits his position. It would be the truth, and telling it like it is.
I sincerely doubt he would feel any shame if people stopped calling him "sire" and address him as "your majesty".
2
Good. Let's start by firing the past Administration's appointees. If Barr follows thru, great. If he's not there, great. The next AG can be brought up from within the Department not needing approval. Great. Past Presidents have exercised their Executive rights without comment. Of course, now it's a problem with the Losers. Just wait when he's re-elected. A deep cleaning. You Go President Trump!
1
all of trump's corruption in pardoning criminals like him is just a precursor to his eventual pardoning of stone et al. the timid minions to trump in the republican senate acquitted this criminal and should pay for what they have done.
1
You really have got to wonder about a person like trump that has so many conflicts with so many people so often. What a mess.
1