Trump's War Against Law and Order

So Jeff Sessions is out as Attorney General of the United States.

As we’ve discussed on this blog before, Jeff was Li’l Donnie’s most effective cabinet member. 

• Cracked down on national security leaks,
• Targeted the MS-13 gang
• Emphasized “rule of law” (He once said “A crime is a crime.”)  
• Stepped up prosecutions for illegal border crossings
• Implemented   “zero tolerance” policy at the border
• Pushed for immigration judges to speed up cases
• Restricted asylum for victims of domestic violence
• Renewed a “tough on crime” approach
• Rolled back Obama-era sentencing changes,
• Opposed broader sentencing reforms
• Reversed course on an effort to reduce the DOJ’s use of private prisons. Backed away from investigations of policing practices

In addition to working hard for pro-Trump initiatives, Jeff Sessions could be counted on to praise Trump’s agenda. And unlike a lot of other Trump cabinet flunkies, he did not get caught up in any big probes into ethics violations.

Sessions was there for Trump from the beginning, providing Trump with his first congressional endorsement during the 2016 campaign.

• He worked hard for Trump.
• He praised Trump.
• He stayed out of trouble for Trump.  '
  

J
eff Sessions was loyal to Trump.

Well, except for that one time….

Despite all of that we covered above, Trump could not abide the one thing Sessions did that Trump did not like: recusing himself from the Russian investigation.

Trump took that personally. And that’s all that concerns Trump. How does something help him or hurt him personally?

To quote Janet Jackson, “What have you done for me lately?”

Well, Sessions has done a LOT for Trump and his agenda.

But to Trump, that amounts to shit while Robert Mueller is still on the job.

There are those who think Trump is scared of Robert Mueller’s investigation because what it might uncover in unethical and illegal business practices Trump has been a part of.  That may be true but I think there is an overriding concern.

Trump is angry at Robert Mueller’s investigation because it exists.

Guilt or innocence is almost beyond the question. I think Li’l Donnie Trump is fixed on the following:

• How dare anyone question Donald Trump?
• How dare anyone investigate his business?
• How dare anyone cast doubt on Trump’s victory?
• How dare anyone assume Trump needed help to reach that victory? 

How dare anyone question Donald Trump?

I was not a fan of Jeff Sessions. His hard-nosed view on crime, like Inspector Javert in Les Misérables, betrayed a lack of nuanced thinking. When pushed on his zero tolerance approach to illegal border crossings, his response was “a crime is a crime”.

His single- minded approach to denying asylum requests to victims of domestic violence was reprehensible.

His lack of compassion or consideration for anyone who was not a straight white Christian male painted him as a hypocrite to his faith and to the oath of his office.

I shed no tears for the ouster of Jeff Sessions but except this is not why he was shown the door and told to leave. All that I found objectionable in Jeff Session’s character is all that staid Trump’s hand for two years. No, Jeff Sessions was fired for the ONE honorable thing he did.

To avoid the appearance of impropriety due to his involvement with the Trump campaign and his meetings with Russian officials during the campaign, Sessions recused himself from the Russian investigation.

Sessions is gone for no reason other than to facilitate Trump stopping Robert Mueller’s investigation.  

If you doubt that, check out Trump’s pick for Sessions replacement. 

Matt Whitaker, a former federal prosecutor, was appointed as acting attorney general after Sessions handed in his resignation. Whitaker has spoken out against the Mueller investigation. In Whitaker, Trump has an Attorney General who has not recused himself and agrees with Trump’s rhetoric that the investigation is a witch hunt.  

In two months, Democrats will take the levers of power in the House of Representatives. Instead of the protection Li’l Donnie’s been getting from the Republicans, the Democrats have promised oversight including protecting the Mueller investigation.

This is a craven attempt by Trump to scuttle that investigation before the Democrats come to power. 

After all, how dare anyone question Donald Trump?

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Tomorrow on the blog:

In the morning, it's a Doctor Who post. About something Doctor Who related. I'll know when I get there.