How much longer are we Americans going to stay silent and side-lined as our federal government’s executive branch, led by Donald Trump, swerves out of control, pouncing on one constitutional norm after another?
As the unraveling of what used to be normal quickens and becomes more disgusting, are we just going to sit like immersed toads in a pot, unaware the temperature is rising?
Our nation is in a constitutional crisis because of Donald Trump -- with assistance from an inner circle of powerful people. The extent of this crisis was joltingly apparent when Trump’s attorney, Rudy Giuliani, said in effect that, if President Trump were to shoot the director of the FBI, he could not be indicted. But, if by some fluke he were indicted, Trump as president has every right to pardon himself.
So, President Trump’s inner circle has concocted a campaign of distorted constitutional interpretations to make American citizens believe that the president of a nation where we are taught no one is above the law is, in fact, above the law.
This distortion is so serious for America because leaders in places like Russia, China, and Turkey are above the law, and it’s not uncommon for adversaries in those very nations to be extinguished without reprimand.
As Americans, we should be angry at ourselves that, the day after such a shocking interpretation of presidential power was broadcast, we walked around with our heads in a fog as if all was normal. No!
The campaign against our justice system, or federal investigators, the news media, and now constitutional interpretation is not normal. It’s a serious internal threat.
I’m Phillip Lefevre, and that’s my perspective.
