President Donald Trump shakes hands with Attorney General Jeff Sessions before viewing the solar eclipse at the White House on August 21, 2017 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
US President Wakes Up, Orders Nation's Top Law Enforcement Officer to Target His Political Enemies
"No, it's not normal for the president to be issuing official statements going after his Attorney General and directing him to investigate people he doesn't like."
Less than a day after Attorney General Jeff Sessions declared that the U.S. Justice Department would "not be improperly influenced by political considerations," nearly the first thing President Donald Trump did early Friday morning was to call on Sessions to deploy his department's vast power and resources to go after those Trump explicitly perceives as his political enemies.
"Jeff, this is great, what everyone wants, so look into all of the corruption on the 'other side' including deleted emails, Comey lies and leaks, Mueller conflicts, McCabe, Strzok, Page, Ohr," Trump wrote after quoting Sessions' remarks on remaining independent from politics.
"FISA abuse, Christopher Steele and his phony and corrupt dossier, the Clinton Foundation, illegal surveillance of Trump campaign, Russian collusion by Dems--and so much more. Open up the papers and documents without redaction?" Trump went on. "Come on Jeff, you can do it, the country is waiting!"
Trump's demand that Sessions direct the Justice Department's energy toward pursuing the president's conspiratorial whims--a demand that comes as the department's resources could be better spent on, say, reuniting the 528 children who remain separated from their parents thanks to its cruel "zero tolerance policy"--was immediately denounced by legal experts as abnormal and dangerous.
"No, it's not normal for the president to be issuing official statements going after his attorney general and directing him to investigate people he doesn't like," Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington (CREW) declared on Twitter.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Less than a day after Attorney General Jeff Sessions declared that the U.S. Justice Department would "not be improperly influenced by political considerations," nearly the first thing President Donald Trump did early Friday morning was to call on Sessions to deploy his department's vast power and resources to go after those Trump explicitly perceives as his political enemies.
"Jeff, this is great, what everyone wants, so look into all of the corruption on the 'other side' including deleted emails, Comey lies and leaks, Mueller conflicts, McCabe, Strzok, Page, Ohr," Trump wrote after quoting Sessions' remarks on remaining independent from politics.
"FISA abuse, Christopher Steele and his phony and corrupt dossier, the Clinton Foundation, illegal surveillance of Trump campaign, Russian collusion by Dems--and so much more. Open up the papers and documents without redaction?" Trump went on. "Come on Jeff, you can do it, the country is waiting!"
Trump's demand that Sessions direct the Justice Department's energy toward pursuing the president's conspiratorial whims--a demand that comes as the department's resources could be better spent on, say, reuniting the 528 children who remain separated from their parents thanks to its cruel "zero tolerance policy"--was immediately denounced by legal experts as abnormal and dangerous.
"No, it's not normal for the president to be issuing official statements going after his attorney general and directing him to investigate people he doesn't like," Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington (CREW) declared on Twitter.
Less than a day after Attorney General Jeff Sessions declared that the U.S. Justice Department would "not be improperly influenced by political considerations," nearly the first thing President Donald Trump did early Friday morning was to call on Sessions to deploy his department's vast power and resources to go after those Trump explicitly perceives as his political enemies.
"Jeff, this is great, what everyone wants, so look into all of the corruption on the 'other side' including deleted emails, Comey lies and leaks, Mueller conflicts, McCabe, Strzok, Page, Ohr," Trump wrote after quoting Sessions' remarks on remaining independent from politics.
"FISA abuse, Christopher Steele and his phony and corrupt dossier, the Clinton Foundation, illegal surveillance of Trump campaign, Russian collusion by Dems--and so much more. Open up the papers and documents without redaction?" Trump went on. "Come on Jeff, you can do it, the country is waiting!"
Trump's demand that Sessions direct the Justice Department's energy toward pursuing the president's conspiratorial whims--a demand that comes as the department's resources could be better spent on, say, reuniting the 528 children who remain separated from their parents thanks to its cruel "zero tolerance policy"--was immediately denounced by legal experts as abnormal and dangerous.
"No, it's not normal for the president to be issuing official statements going after his attorney general and directing him to investigate people he doesn't like," Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington (CREW) declared on Twitter.