THE Abuser, Part 1

“Abuser” is defined in Cambridge Dictionary as “someone who treats another person in a cruel, violent or unfair way.”

“Abuse” is defined in Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “a corrupt practice or custom.”

These definitions confirm there’s no question President Donald Trump is an unrivaled abuser who abuses the powers of the presidency like no other president ever has.

Trump’s obsession with revenge and retaliation is reflected in his recent statement that “I hate my opponent.”

Trump has claimed falsely that he has “the right to do anything I want to do,” has claimed falsely that he is the nation’s “chief law enforcement officer,” and claimed falsely that “I run the country and the world.”

The Department of Justice lists as one of its basic values “to earn the public’s trust by following the facts and the law wherever they may lead, without prejudice or improper influence.”

This value is alien to Trump, who has taken personal control of the Justice Department and the FBI to impose his warped version of justice on his perceived opponents and enemies.

It is important to reflect just how unusual this is. The principle that a person is innocent until proven guilty is found in Roman law, Talmudic law, Islamic law, and European law, and is embedded in the due process clause of our Constitution. It comes from English common law.

But that’s not good enough for Trump. He turns the presumption of innocence upside down and has shown no interest in the due process rights of individuals. As far as Trump is concerned, if you are a perceived opponent or enemy, you are guilty, and the “details” don’t matter.

A recent example of Trump’s notion of vigilante justice is seen in his public demand that Attorney General Pam Bondi pursue the criminal prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey, Senator Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Have they been found guilty of a crime? Of course not. But Trump has proclaimed, “They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done.”

Erik Seibert, then U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, notified the Justice Department there was insufficient evidence to pursue James. Trump’s response was to fire him. Trump said, “It looks to me like [Letitia James] is very guilty of something, but I really don’t know.” “Something,” however, is not a criminal offense.

After getting rid of Seibert, Trump quickly appointed Lindsey Halligan as acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District. Halligan has no prosecutorial experience and was a former Trump defense attorney who had been serving as a White House lawyer. Seibert was investigating both James and Comey and prosecutors sent a memo to Halligan explaining why Comey should not be indicted. But the command from Trump to prosecute is clear and there are reports that an indictment could come as soon as today.

The extraordinary abuses of office by Trump along with his administration extend far beyond the law enforcement agencies.

For example, security protections and clearances have been abruptly taken away; prosecutors, investigators and intelligence officials have been fired; judges have been attacked and harassed; the media has received mob-like threats; Inspectors General and high-level JAG officers have been fired; companies have been bullied and intimidated; law firms and universities have been confronted and threatened.

Earlier this year, Trump spoke at the Justice Department to its employees. He called his “courtroom opponents” “scum,” judges “corrupt,” and the prosecutors who investigated him “deranged.” Trump claimed the previous administration “weaponized the vast powers of our intelligence and law enforcement agencies to try and thwart the will of the American people.”

In reality, no one – no one – has done more to weaponize the law enforcement agencies than Trump has. When it comes to grossly abusing the powers of the federal government for personal revenge and retaliation, not to mention self-enrichment, Trump is one of a kind.

The rule of law is foundational to democracy and civilized society. Trump is acting to shatter the rule and to move our country into his own autocracy.

The American people will not let this happen.  We did not maintain our democracy for 237 years to let President Trump steal it for his self-aggrandizement.

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Fred’s Weekly Note appears on Thursdays in Wertheimer’s Political Report, a Democracy 21 newsletter. Read this week’s newsletter, and other recent editions, here. And subscribe for free here and receive your copy each week via email.