The GOP arguments together enable tyranny

Over the last few years, the GOP have argued for multiple things which must be publicly challenged. Accepting them without a strong public challenge is a mistake we keep making.

These topics should be addressed head on. Disagreement of these core questions explains certain choices that I would argue are both illegal and unacceptable.

The President is above the law

And as set forth in the report, after that investigation, if we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so. We did not, however, make a determination as to whether the president did commit a crime.

The introduction to the Volume 2 of our report explains that decision. It explains that under long-standing department policy, a president cannot be charged with a federal crime while he is in office. That is unconstitutional. Even if the charge is kept under seal and hidden from public view, that, too, is prohibited.

A special counsel’s office is part of the Department of Justice, and by regulation, it was bound by that department policy. Charging the president with a crime was therefore not an option we could consider. The department’s written opinion explaining the policy makes several important points that further informed our handling of the obstruction investigation. Those points are summarized in our report and I will describe two of them for you.

First, the opinion explicitly permits the investigation of a sitting president because it is important to preserve evidence while memories are fresh and documents available. Among other things, that evidence could be used if there were co-conspirators who could be charged now.

And second, the opinion says that the Constitution requires a process other than the criminal justice system to formally accuse a sitting president of wrongdoing.

And beyond department policy, we were guided by principles of fairness. It would be unfair to potentially — it would be unfair to potentially accuse somebody of a crime when there can be no court resolution of the actual charge.

So that was Justice Department policy. Those were the principles under which we operated. And from them, we concluded that we would not reach a determination one way or the other about whether the president committed a crime. That is the office’s final position and we will not comment on any other conclusions or hypotheticals about the president.

Full transcript: Robert Mueller’s statement on the Russia investigation

Good morning, everyone, and thank you for being here. Two years ago, the acting attorney general asked me to serve as… www.politico.com

The idea that a DOJ memo can undermine critical protections against tyranny is unacceptable. Having no option for removing a man who committed crimes throughout his career, during the election, and once in office, is a mistake we should prevent in the future.

Trump should have been arrested years before COVID hit.

“Justice sends mixed messages” by Dan4th is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Impeachment is a “vote”

“What was the practice before in cases where the chief magistrate rendered himself obnoxious? Why, recourse was had to assassination in which he was not only deprived of his life but of the opportunity of vindicating his character. It would be the best way therefore to provide in the Constitution for the regular punishment of the Executive where his misconduct should deserve it, and for his honorable acquittal when he should be unjustly accused.”

 — Benjamin Franklin

When you are impeaching the President of the United States, you are calling into question his fitness to lead. When a President abuses his position to achieve personal and political goals, he renders himself obnoxious.

Should a majority of Senators be sufficient to prevent a criminal president from facing justice? What recourse does that leave when our nation is being destroyed corruptly?

“Do you solemnly swear that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of Donald John Trump, president of the United States, now pending, you will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws, so help you god?”

 — Impeachment Oath

We expected the Senate GOP to violate their oaths. That’s my understanding of why there was no impeachment for the Mueller Report. That’s what happened when he extorted an ally to influence an election.

An election that the GOP is now attempting to undermine the legitimacy of.

We expected it, and so we accepted it.

Intention is irrelevant

Donald Trump likes to achieve his goals by any means necessary.

The President can appoint various positions. Does it matter when the clear intention of the appointment is to destroy the very departments they’re put in charge of?

To undermine the intended process for making consequential changes?

The GOP claims that the President can make any staffing decisions within the executive branch. Does it matter that it’s clearly retribution for whistle blowing?

It certainly seems like it should be. That’s why layers of non-political employees who can apply their own morals and understanding of their own oaths between the President and the people who we depend on to do their jobs.

Donald Trump doesn’t even try to hide his reasons for firing people.

Why do we accept it? Because we know the Senate GOP will violate their oaths?

An election will fix this

This is not just a Donald Trump problem. Many of his biggest oath breaking enablers won re-election.

Will there ever be consequences for abuse of power? Life is an iterated prisoners dilemma, and cooperating after a defection is a losing strategy.

Iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma - Psychestudy

Cite this article as: Praveen Shrestha, “Iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma,” in Psychestudy, November 17, 2017… www.psychestudy.com

Worse, we just spent 4 years fighting for power, rather than trying to develop better solutions by working together.

Real change is growing from the people, while we dump way to much money into elections and attack each other.

Getting power does not change the animosity and abandon of the rule of law that we have just experienced.

We are on a path to division and war.

We will solve our problems.

Are we going to kill each other first?

I have seen the lions turn to cubs I have seen the hunters turn to prey Our lessons will come again tomorrow If they’re not learned today

I’ve seen the lions turn to cubs And I have seen the hunters turn to prey The lessons will come again tomorrow Cause they weren’t learnt today

 — Kae Tempest “Lessons”