Trump’s Vision of the Presidency: Absolute Power, No Accountability
Trump’s Vision of the Presidency: Absolute Power, No Accountability
Statement of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer
House and Senate Republicans, joined by Attorney General William Barr, have paved the way for President Trump to exercise his vision of absolute Presidential power without accountability for his actions.
This is the approach we fought a revolution to end.
Republicans in Congress have told Trump it is perfectly fine to blackmail a foreign country to intervene in our elections to help his reelection campaign. They have also said it is perfectly fine for the President to stonewall and obstruct Congress.
Barr’s view of a unitary presidency, and also of a presidency superior in our Constitutional system to the Congressional and Judicial Branches, is now playing out with reckless abandon.
Trump declared himself this week to be the “nation’s chief law enforcement officer,” with no objection raised by Attorney General Barr, who is supposed to be the nation’s chief law enforcement officer. Trump has repeatedly pushed the Justice Department to indict political opponents and perceived enemies.
Trump threw pardons around this week like Mardi Gras beads. They were based not on the normal Justice Department process, but, according to The New York Times, “driven instead by friendship, fame, personal empathy, and a shared sense of persecution.”
One pardon went to Paul Pogue, after his family reportedly contributed more than $200,000 since last August to support Trump’s reelection campaign.
All signs point to future Trump pardons for his political cronies convicted of crimes, starting with convicted felon Roger Stone.
Trump also continued his practice this week of attacking judges, irresponsibly tweeting an attack on U.S. District Judge Amy Jackson Berman, who sentenced Stone to over three years in prison today.
It is obvious that Trump sees his presidency and the Justice Department as vehicles for punishing his opponents and rewarding his friends. This approach by Trump is the hallmark of dictators and authoritarians around the world.
The rule of law is embedded in our constitutional system of government. So is the concept that we are a nation of laws, not of men and women. Trump is directly challenging these core principles and they must be defended at all costs.
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