We should be outraged by this GOP suggestion to 'purge' the FBI

[bigtree]

...anyone selling this anti-democratic treason should be run out of the country.

Here's an agency that moved to discredit Hillary Clinton in the election by 'reopening the email investigation,' and these republican clowns want us to believe the FBI was some kind of anti-Trump cabal.

Worst is the way republicans (and the administration) are outdoing Russians in their efforts to remove anyone from government who isn't loyal to Trump. It's bad enough to have this open, ongoing campaign to criminalize his political opponent in the last election, but this talk of a 'purge' is one of the most anti-democratic notions ever embraced by national political leaders.

If we're to assume people in government who supported Hillary are unable to do their jobs fairly and objectively, we'd be free to assume the governmental actions of supporters of Trump are also biased and tainted. It's absurd, yes, but it's also tyranny in action.

The FBI agent who sent anti-Trump text messages to a friend, did so with a reasonable expectation that those expressions were private. It's not as if there was some open display of bias, on Twitter, for instance. More importantly, there's no process (thankfully) to determine the private conversations and opinions of anyone else at the FBI and make a similar judgment that they're unfit to serve.

This is an open assault, a witch hunt, on anyone who dares hold a different political view from the party in power. That's as dangerous a proposition as anything I've ever heard in politics. It's a direct assault on our democracy, our constitution, and our freedom from tyranny.

FDR in '36 DNC speech:

"In 1776 we sought freedom from the tyranny of a political autocracy - from the eighteenth-century royalists who held special privileges from the crown. It was to perpetuate their privilege that they governed without the consent of the governed; that they denied the right of free assembly and free speech; that they restricted the worship of God; that they put the average man's property and the average man's life in pawn to the mercenaries of dynastic power; that they regimented the people.

And so it was to win freedom from the tyranny of political autocracy that the American Revolution was fought. That victory gave the business of governing into the hands of the average man, who won the right with his neighbors to make and order his own destiny through his own government. Political tyranny was wiped out at Philadelphia on July 4, 1776."

Political tyranny was reborn on January 20, 2017. We are in a fight to regain any reasonable expectation that we can control government against a craven republican party determined to deny representation to all but their narrow political base of supporters.

'Constitutional crisis' doesn't even begin to describe this perilous moment in our history.

[spanone]

1. K&R...

[BlueJac]

2. Nazi's

[Ilsa]

3. GOP-ers would be screaming bloody murder if

Democrats suggested a purge of obvious Republicans from the DOJ or FBI.

[GoCubsGo]

4. Straight out of Pol Pot's playbook.

Just like their demonization of education, science, facts...

[Canoe52]

26. Pol pot, Stalin, Mao, etc, etc, ad nauseam

Dictators - highly over rated

[pandr32]

5. Agreed

Hard to believe it has happened, yet we must believe it. It seems that we truly are at the crossroads of now or never where America is fading in fast and we all hope someone will come and tell us it will be alright. We need to wake the fuck up and come to our own rescue.

[Rocky888]

6. This cannot be repeated enough!

Trump and fox are using Putin playbook and if cnn and msnbc follow suit, we are in big trouble.

[procon]

7. I did a double take when I heard that, thinking some third world tyrant was

purging his regime to make room for more fawning sycophants. It was a moment before the TV identified Florida Rep. Francis Rooney, joining his fellow Republican, Joseph McCarthy, in beating the same old purge drumbeat to go after political opponents and other undesirables.

[DallasNE]

8. Rebirth Of McCarthyism

Instead of the Army and State Department it is the FBI and Justice Department. And, once again, they have no shame. But this time it is more insidious because Fox News is in cahoots with these deplorable actions. Buckle up.

[L. Coyote]

12. Children of the John Birchers.

How many of these asshats were suckled on Red Scare paranoia in the 50s and 60s?

This worldview is the same as what enabled Nixon and Vietnam.

[dalton99a]

9. Remember Trump wanted to keep his own private security because he didn't trust the Secret Service

Our government is his enemy - to be conquered and destroyed and looted

[L. Coyote]

10. WE ARE! -- Calls To Purge DOJ & FBI Are 'Nuts'

I would substitute treasonous for "nuts" and agree that both apply.

Dec 26, 2017
Fmr. Ethics Attorney for Pres. George W. Bush Richard Painter says that Republicans who say the DOJ & FBI need to be purged are either in safe GOP districts so they can 'mouth off,' or they're 'nuts.'

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[dmosh42]

11. "Purging" was the big word for the Stalin administration, and now the GOP!

[bluestarone]

13. only can believe his roots somehow

lead to RUSSIA ! VERY UN-AMERICAN

[Scarsdale]

14. More and more, the

idea of blackmail seems to apply. Remember, Rand Paul used to be outspoken about tRump, until they went golfing together a couple of times. He changed his tune, completely. Then came Graham, same behaviour. There is something going on behind the scenes that we do not know about YET. Too many gop members are lining up to praise their dear leader. Some are praising him, and ready to retire rather than stay in office. Maybe they are finding that kissing his orange arse is hardly worth it? Diminishing themselves in everyone's eyes, including their families is just too difficult to keep up for three more years. Well, that plus the voters are finally wising up?

[sweetapogee]

15. please people

relax. Those at the FBI who might be purged are at a minimum 10 times smarter than the president. Mr. Mueller is going to produce, probably next a week, a steady drip of hard evidence against 45 that will bring talk of purges to a grinding halt.

[SWBTATTReg]

17. I agree w/ sweetapogee, relax...

but I won't relax when someone such as this stupid congressman (who belongs to one of our least trusted institutions) suggests that a purge of one of America's most trusted institutions should happen...what evidence does this piece of s*?! have that would ever mandate this? This guy (and others like him) are traitors and need to be run out of town...

[lancelyons]

16. Deplorable conservatives (trump supporters) think all FBI, Police, Military, Judges should be GOP

Deplorable conservatives (trump supporters) think all FBI, Police, Military, Judges should be GOP or its not fair.

They think that any democrat in these institutions shows that its unfairly biased against them..

They are absurd and crazy. Im ready for all the deplorables to be gone.

[rockfordfile]

18. GOP attempting to corrupt the FBI

[Zambero]

19. Loyalty oaths?

Indeed it was demanded before with a punitive result when the demand was not granted. Why not just skip any pretense of loyalty toward Trump and have them swear direct allegiance to Putin instead? Ending this investigation would be an open invitation to further infiltrate our country's democratic institutions.

[certainot]

20. these 88 universities are helping limbaugh lead the attacks on mueller and media

by continuing to broadcast sports on 257 limbaugh stations.

limbaugh has been leading the charge, creating the buzz that enables trump and the GOP to attack the mueller team and the 'partisan witchunt'

about 1500 rw radio stations are following his lead and those 257 are some of the loudest.

if a few of the unis below felt enough pressure from protestors to merely begin discusssing the possibility of looking for apolitical alternatives others would be shamed into following.the GOP would freak out. media would notice and advertisers for all rw radio would head for the hills.

putin and trump's most important ally would fall apart.

From republicanradio.org:

ALABAMA 8  Auburn 3, Alabama 2, Southern Alabama 2, Troy 1
ARIZONA 2 Arizona St. 1, Arizona 1
ARKANSAS 3 Arkansas 3
CALIFORNIA 5 San Jose State 2, USC 2, Fresno St. 1
COLORADO 4 Air Force 2, Colorado 1, Colorado State 1
CONNECTICUT 1 Connecticut 1
FLORIDA 20 Florida 10, Florida St. 4 Miami 2, South Florida 2, Central Florida 2
GEORGIA 14 Georgia 7, Georgia Tech 5, Georgia Southern 2
IDAHO 7  Boise St. 4, Idaho 3
ILLINOIS 7 Illinois 7
INDIANA 11 Notre Dame 6, Purdue 4, Indiana 1
IOWA 5 Iowa 4, Iowa St. 1
KANSAS 4 Kansas St. 2, Kansas 1, Wichita St. 1
KENTUCKY 3 Louisville 2, Kentucky 1
LOUSIANA 3 LSU 2, La.-Monroe 1
MARYLAND 2 Maryland 2
MASSACHUSETTS 1 Boston College 1
MICHIGAN 19 Michigan St. 11, Michigan 7, Western Michigan 1
MINNESOTA 4 Minnesota 4
MISSISSIPPI 6 Mississippi St. 3, Mississippi 2, Southern Miss 1
MISSOURI 6 Missouri 6
NEBRASKA 6 Nebraska 6
NEVADA 1 Nevada 1
NEW JERSEY 2 Rutgers 1, Seton Hall 1
NEW MEXICO 3 New Mexico 2, New Mexico St. 1
NEW YORK 7 Syracuse 6, Army 1
NORTH CAROLINA 16 North Carolina 8, North Carolina State 3, Duke 3, East Carolina 2
OHIO 10 Ohio St. 6, Toledo 1, Dayton 1, Bowling Green 1, Xavier 1
OKLAHOMA 5 Oklahoma St. 3, Oklahoma 1, Oral Roberts 1
OREGON 12 Oregon St. 7, Oregon 5
PENNSYLVANIA 14 Penn St. 11, Pittsburgh 2, Temple 1
SOUTH CAROLINA 4 South Carolina 2, Clemson 2
TENNESSEE 7 Tennessee 4, Memphis 3
TEXAS 16 Texas A&M 9, Texas Tech 4, Texas 1, Texas Christian 1, Baylor 1
UTAH 1 Utah St. 1
VIRGINIA 6 Virginia Tech 5, Virginia 1
WASHINGTON 6 Washington 5, Washington St. 1
WEST VIRGINIA 2 West Virginia 1, Marshall 1
WISCONSIN 5 Wisconsin 5

[certainot]

23. as a matter of fact mark steyn filling in for limbaugh is starting with it, attacking

domestic "american civil servants" working inside to help overthrow trump, which he says is a much more important issue than russian meddling in the elections.

so this shit for brains can spew forth for 3 hours on 257 radio stations endorsed by those 88 universities, like limbaugh, lying all he wants while hiding behind call screeners.

[Catch2.2]

21. Where are the Democrats?!!

The Dems should be all over this! Hold a press conference, release a statement, something!
The republicans are throwing them a softball and the Democrats aren't even swinging at the ball. This is a big reason why the Dems don't control the House, Senate, Presidency, majority of governors, etc.

[Danascot]

28. This!

The GOP noise machine is really good at catapulting the propoganda with loud, uniform voices. I don't understand why Democrats don't do the same when an issue like this one is so obviously anti-American and a clear danger to our democracy. Yes, I have heard some Democrats speak out but not with the intensity the GOP brings to the smallest issue. If we don't respond forcefully our lack of response leads some people to think their talking points must have merit. Extreme positions left unopposed also have the effect of moving opinion off of normal and more toward the extreme.

Also, welcome to DU!

[niyad]

22. heartsick and angry k and r

[onetexan]

24. me 2, but i'm determined to fight even harder to get our Dems to sweep the House and get it back

in 2018. We cannot let our democracy become a fascist state.

[paulkienitz]

25. We no longer need to debate whether the GOP is fascist.

Throughout modern political history, there have been some democrats who would accuse conservatives of being fascist, and other democrats who would object that this was going too far, painting with too broad and dark a brush, and insulting the great majority of conservative citizens who still believed in constitutional democracy. But now, thanks to Trump, we know that the GOP is in fact riddled with actual fascists. In fact, we can now see plainly exactly which republicans are fascist and which are not. And the proportions between the two camps are a lot more even than the more optimistic among us were willing to believe.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

27. It's a very scary proposition to me as well

The idea that people can be "purged" from government positions due to their personal political beliefs should be very chilling to anybody living in a democracy.