Who could have imagined we'd miss Jeff Sessions?
Ok, that's a dumb question. We all knew Donald Trump threw Sessions to the curb because the little racist just wasn't corrupt enough. Racist as hell, but not a crook, apparently.
I suppose we have to revise the cliche: There's honor among Klansmen? Before we get too nostaglic, we might remember that Sessions was still in office when Andrew McCabe was fired. Still, the Attorney General who couldn't be a federal judge because of his racism had his limits.
But there's no honor with Donald J. Trump. If William Barr has limits, we have yet to find them. With Barr in place, we are 100% out of control. We're in Turkey territory, where resisting the dictator can mean going to jail--and where the dictator looks after his "friends"--so long as they're still friends.
A lot has happened this, and still more was revealed, about the corruption of our Justice Department. Set aside misrepresenting the Mueller report, then challenging the Inspector General's report on the Russia investigation.
Yesterday was dramatic, perhaps more dramatic than the Senate's impeachment verdict. First Trump tweeted that the sentence recommended for Roger Stone was too harsh. Let's count the factors.
- A sentence recommended by his own Justice Department.
- A sentence that was actually pretty damn harsh.
- And a sentence for a guy convicted of covering up for Trump himself.
In other words, Trump's tweet was itself part of the cover-up. And what do you know? The Department of Justice did something it basically never does, criticized the recommended sentence and revised it. The White House denies that Trump intervened, but seriously. Mixed in with denials, Trump routinely broadcasts his crimes. He did so this morning.
In what is actually a shocking response, all four prosecutors involved in recommending Stone's sentence resigned from the case yesterday. All four. Trump's response?
They were "rogue prosecutors." Let's hold our breath until Barr defends them. Trump also attacked the judge in this case yesterday.
They were "rogue prosecutors." Let's hold our breath until Barr defends them. Trump also attacked the judge in this case yesterday.
Is this the Judge that put Paul Manafort in SOLITARY CONFINEMENT, something that not even mobster Al Capone had to endure? How did she treat Crooked Hillary Clinton? Just asking!
What's more, Trump also tweeted that Stone never should have been prosecuted, in this case shitting on the verdict of a jury. The case was "totally out of control and perhaps should not have even been brought." Perhaps. (Cough.)
Was it just Stone, a lifelong mentor to Trump? Apparently not. Now we're learning that the downward revision of former NSA Michael Flynn's sentence came down from above as well.
Oh. That's two #TrumpRussia accomplices.
And retaliation. Federal prosecutor Jessie Liu had run the Roger Stone case. Having once nominated her as under secretary for terrorism and financial crimes in the Treasury Department, Trump yesterday rescinded her nomination. She's out of a job.
It's bad. Really bad. So bad Trump's allies are suggesting Trump might nominate for the Supreme Court the grifter Jay Sekulow, the "religious freedom" warrior who manages to funnel the private donations of Christians to himself, his brother (millions), his wife (millions), and his private jet.
All this right after Trump removed NSC staffer Lt. Col. Vindman, along with his brother, and Ambassador Gordon Sondland for testifying against him in the Ukraine matter--even after senators tried to talk him down. Yesterday Trump continued to taunt Vindman by tweet and called for him to be punished by the Pentagon. So far the Secretary of Defense has not spoken out to defend his decorated and faithful staffer.
If we wondered about retaliation....
Where's Jeff Sessions when we really need him?
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