The New York Times published a deeply researched article about the Trump administration’s systematic destruction of the U.S. Department of Justice.
This is a gift article, meaning that non-subscribers may open the link.
Traditionally, the Department of Justice is independent of the administration in power.
Trump has broken down all the guardrails that protected the Department from political interference.
Trump selected Pam Bondi as Attorney General to carry out his wishes. He selected his personal defense attorneys as Bondi’s top assistants. Hundreds of career officials were fired. Thousands have left. The ethics officer was fired, because he insisted that the Department abide by ethics rules. The pardons attorney was fired, because Trump wanted to give pardons to friends, like actor Mel Gibson, who wanted his gun rights restored despite his history of domestic violence.
The Justice Department is now completely under the personal control of Trump. It is an instrument of his whims.
In one example, the Department of Justice sued a prestigious law firm for discriminating against white men, even though the law firm is 97% white. Why? The firm has represented Democrats.
The agency responsible for investigating domestic terrorism has been gutted. Civil rights enforcement has turned to attacking racial inequities and defending aggrieved white men.
The New York Times is the one major newspaper that has not bowed to Trump or capitulated to his threats. We sometimes criticize the Times for its efforts to be “on the one hand, on the other,” but this is not one of those articles.
This is a straightforward demonstration of the politicization and gutting of a bedrock protector of our democracy.
This article documents the early stages of fascism.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I believe we are far beyond the early stages. The early stages was the formation of the not so “Moral Majority.” It’s been a slide downhill since then.
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YOU’VE BEEN CONNED…AGAIN —
It began with Trump refusing to release ALL the Epstein documents and videos.
Then, Republican members of Congress rose in revolt with the threat to pass a law requiring the release of everything.
Next, in his scheme to get around any law, Trump has his Department of Justice (DOJ) launch an investigation of Democrats’ relations with Epstein.
Finally, Trump does a sudden reversal and tells Republicans to have all the documents and videos released.
BUT — and here is where you see the clever con job Trump has pulled on everyone who wants to see ALL the Epstein documents and videos — in his announcement, Trump says that you can see only all the documents and videos that can “legally” be released.
BEFORE Trump ordered his DOJ to start an investigation into Democrats and Epstein, you could have actually gotten to see 100% of the Epstein documents and videos — but now that Trump has launched his investigation the DOJ can refuse to release all the documents and videos because the DOJ will withhold all the things it will claim are “part of an ongoing investigation.”
So, you won’t get to see all the documents and videos after all.
Trump didn’t decades ago get the nickname “Don the Con” for nothing.
(Share.)
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Maybe he can destroy what remains of our White House while we are waiting for him to release the proof of his profligacy.
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