Robert Mueller Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images Trump has spent the last two years attacking the fundamental norms and institutions of this country. He has attacked the norms of truthfulness, honesty, and transparency in government. At the same time, he has attacked the courts, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the military. (The military is for the protection of our nation, not to help win a partisan by deployment on the border to stop an imaginary invasion.) If Trump runs for a second term as President, he will have legitimized his attacks on our norms and institutions. Trump must not be allowed to get away with his attacks on the foundations of this country. He must be held accountable for his actions.
Meanwhile Mueller’s investigation is chugging along. We have recently learned that Manafort, Trump’s campaign manager, transmitted polling data to Russian oligarchs and intelligence agents. This information quite probably was used to micro-target messages to voters in key states and persuade them to either vote for Trump or stay home. Evidence of Manafort’s data transmission to the Russians puts the lie to the call of “no collusion.” But will it matter?
There has always been a curious disconnect between the purpose of Mueller’s investigation and the limits that the DOJ imposed on tools he can use. DOJ assigned Mueller the task of investigating the Russian attack on our election to see if U.S. citizens were involved. But if Mueller, the prosecutor, follows DOJ guidance, he cannot prosecute the key conspirator, Trump. The DOJ guidance opines that a sitting President cannot be indicted; he must first be impeached. Mueller has indicted or obtained guilty pleas from at least 30 other individuals involved in the attack. Mueller may not be able to hold Trump, the conspirator-in-chief as criminally liable. The report Mueller will write about the Russian attack may be used by Democrats to help ensure that Trump does not win a second term.
Not being able to win a second term is hardly holding Trump accountable for undermining our democracy. (Jimmy Carter can attest to this.) The best chance at holding Trump accountable may be through impeachment, even if he is not convicted and removed from office by the Senate. Surely, Trump’s attacks on our institutions require some sanction by those institutions.
Meanwhile Mueller’s investigation is chugging along. We have recently learned that Manafort, Trump’s campaign manager, transmitted polling data to Russian oligarchs and intelligence agents. This information quite probably was used to micro-target messages to voters in key states and persuade them to either vote for Trump or stay home. Evidence of Manafort’s data transmission to the Russians puts the lie to the call of “no collusion.” But will it matter?
There has always been a curious disconnect between the purpose of Mueller’s investigation and the limits that the DOJ imposed on tools he can use. DOJ assigned Mueller the task of investigating the Russian attack on our election to see if U.S. citizens were involved. But if Mueller, the prosecutor, follows DOJ guidance, he cannot prosecute the key conspirator, Trump. The DOJ guidance opines that a sitting President cannot be indicted; he must first be impeached. Mueller has indicted or obtained guilty pleas from at least 30 other individuals involved in the attack. Mueller may not be able to hold Trump, the conspirator-in-chief as criminally liable. The report Mueller will write about the Russian attack may be used by Democrats to help ensure that Trump does not win a second term.
Not being able to win a second term is hardly holding Trump accountable for undermining our democracy. (Jimmy Carter can attest to this.) The best chance at holding Trump accountable may be through impeachment, even if he is not convicted and removed from office by the Senate. Surely, Trump’s attacks on our institutions require some sanction by those institutions.
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