The American Dark Age (2016-2020) An archived history of the worst President ever

https://twitter.com/matthewamiller/status/998266595612020742
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And a twitter thread from Wittes
https://twitter.com/benjaminwittes/status/998259993819394049

I normally ignore presidential tweets. This one requires attention, because it could genuinely produce a crisis with the Justice Department and the FBI. Here’s an explanatory thread that may (or may not) be useful. /

The President in this tweet announces that he will tomorrow formally demand of the Justice Department a specific investigation—to wit, one about whether the DOJ and FBI spied on the Trump campaign and if the Obama administration demanded such action of them. /

There is no doubt that he has the constitutional authority to make this demand. /

There is also no doubt in my mind that neither the attorney general (who is recused anyway) nor the deputy attorney general nor the FBI director can in good conscience comply with such an order. And I don’t believe they will. /

This is a nakedly corrupt attempt on the part of the President to derail an investigation of himself at the expense of a human source to whose protection the FBI and DOJ are committed.

See @qjurecic and my piece on this from yesterday. / (lawfareblog.com/day-we-cant-pr…)

So if the President really gives Rod Rosenstein or Chris Wray an order (as opposed to Twitter bluster) demanding a particular investigation not properly predicated under FBI/DOJ guidelines for this overtly political purpose, I believe both men will resign rather than comply. /

In other words, this tweet is different from other Trump craziness tweets. It’s one that promises a specific action on a specific date (tomorrow) with respect to a specific agency that will, if it takes place, precipitate a showdown. /

Trump is a wuss, so he may well back down. He was going to fire Rosenstein, and he wussed out. He was going to fire Mueller and he wussed out. So I don’t want to overstate this. There’s lots of ways this could peter out. But this tweet is no joke. /

As Quinta and I wrote yesterday, “Don’t underestimate this episode. It will have a long tail and big consequences—all of them terrible.” Those consequences, if you believe the President, may start tomorrow. /

Eyes open people. /

Under the circumstances, can the DOJ and FBI refuse to comply? I don’t think there is precedent for the President issuing an order that directly relates to a criminal investigation against him.

I think the DOJ should comply … and ten minutes after Donnie makes his initial demand, they should hand him a sheet of paper with this written on it in 24 point type:

Upon investigation, we find the reason that an FBI informant talked to members of your campaign was that you hired terrible security risks who were already being investigated by the FBI. Even though you were warned not to. You fucking moron.

The pressure on anyone working on the Trump investigation from the Trump supporters is just insane. The get their pensions taken away. 8channers digging up all their family information and spamming it. 24/7 on Fox and Brietbart on how they are traitors. The President of the United States publicly stating that the people investigating him should be in jail.

There’s hardly anything standing between Trump and the complete collapse of the rule of the law. One tiny break and it’s all gone.

Tomorrow looms as a pretty big day. Will the President really direct the DOJ to engage in an investigation into a political rival?

Will the DOJ comply? It’s hard to see Rosenstein doing so. I’m even thinking Jeff Sessions will be like “Uh…”

I feel nauseous that this is even in question. Damn if I didn’t have a big pit in my stomach in November 2016, but I didn’t really think we’d be worrying about stuff like this not even two years later. I just thought he’d be an incompetent imbecile that would cause a lot of damage in terms of policy. I didn’t think I’d see the foundations of our democracy erode so quickly.

I mean, he threatened to lock up Hillary on the campaign. The only surprise is that he hasn’t started a war yet.

Here’s something I don’t understand: people who voted for him.

Time to lock up this corpulent Nero wannabe.

Just announced by Rosenstein: He’ll ask the DOJ Inspector General to take a look at determining whether there was infiltration of a campaign for political purposes.

It’s…not what Trump wants. It’s Rosenstein de-escalating a dangerous situation.

That said, it’s also yet another skid down a slippery slope, too.

Once again, and with feeling, Fuck David Dennison.

This is an attempt at straight up tinpot dictator type rule. The most explicit move to authoritarianism yet.

Kudos to Rosenstein for not giving Donnie Dumbass what he wanted, but this again shifts the Overton window of acceptable political action so far… he gave up too much.

He’s in a tough spot. Not do enough, and he’s out and a crony takes over that does whatever Trump wants.

How different is it than what Trump wanted? Because he punted it to the IG?

Trump wanted a full-scale DOJ investigation, with agents detailed to the specific purpose and perhaps even a special counselor appointed to oversee.

The IG investigation is more like having internal affairs look into things.

Bill Maher brings a bracing shot of fear and pessimism:

Is this it? Our actual test of the Judicial branch and whatever happens next?

Also, when are 5 million of us supposed to be marching in the streets? I thought it was when Mueller gets fired, but maybe need to adjust.

It would be great to have a huge protest like they had in Korea last year (a few years back?) that just went on and on for weeks until the pressure became so immense that the Korean president resigned. That could never happen in the US, right?

Well the 2017 Women’s March was the largest in American history.

So it’s possible to be bigger, surely, but to what effect? Unknown.

The size is somewhat less important than the duration. Marches and protests that only happen on off days where most of the participants aren’t sacrificing much of anything have minimal effect on policy.