Paul Waldman, WaPo: Trump is already set to use the government to destroy the Democratic nominee

[highplainsdem]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/05/02/trump-is-already-set-use-government-destroy-democratic-nominee/

Every time a president runs for reelection, there are small ways he uses the power of his office to promote his campaign, such as taking “official” visits to swing states on the taxpayer’s dime. But those efforts are usually limited by the potential for controversy and the agreed-upon norm that there’s only so far the president should go in marshaling the resources of the federal government for his political benefit. But as we know, Donald Trump doesn’t even care about rules, let alone norms.

So get ready. Trump is going to order the Justice Department to launch an investigation of his opponent — probably more than one — and Barr will likely do so eagerly. It doesn’t matter how trivial the substance is, as we learned in 2016 when the fact that Hillary Clinton used the wrong email became the dominant issue of the campaign. Did Elizabeth Warren shake hands with a guy whose cousin’s neighbor dated a mobster? The Justice Department will investigate. Did Bernie Sanders have a congressional intern whose police officer dad fixed a parking ticket for him? The FBI is on it. Did Kamala Harris prosecute someone whose lawyer’s husband got a state contract? Investigations are ongoing.

Republicans will cry that whatever it is, it’s the crime of the century. The federal investigations will give it the patina of legitimacy, and the media will dutifully cover it with all the speculative insinuation they can muster. (“Questions are being raised,” after all.) And it won’t just be the Justice Department — rest assured, right now in the White House they’re working hard to figure out how the entire government can be put to the task of reelecting Trump.

As I said, previous presidents have done that in small ways with limited effects. But Trump’s corruption, his lack of concern for laws and norms, his contempt for the very idea that the federal government exists for a purpose other than to serve him — all of these are already more than apparent. And we haven’t yet seen how far he’s willing to go to retain power.

I'm seeing lots of warnings about this today.

We've been hearing for a while that with Barr, Trump finally got his Roy Cohn.

But Roy Cohn didn't have a Justice Department to weaponize...

[Iliyah]

1. Glad this is being exposed.

American people will be aware of this and as usual, it will backfire on the GOP.

[SWBTATTReg]

3. I agree w/ you! nt

[global1]

2. So Is Trump Going To Justify His Actions Of Investigating Dem Nominees By Saying.....

that Obama did this to him - so if Obama can do it - so can I?

And it is only in Trump's mind that Obama did this to him. Trump made this up and is using it to support his false claims as being wronged by Obama and the Dems. This is part of what Trump calls the 'coup' that was supposedly initiated against him.

[asiliveandbreathe]

4. Barr wiped the patina of legitimacy away yesterday..as far as the DOJ is concerned...

The federal investigations will give it the patina of legitimacy....NOPE!!!

[Nuggets]

5. Now why

does the FBI allow themselves to be used like this?
They lose credibility each time they take on these ridiculous scandals created by Republicans.


“Did Bernie Sanders have a congressional intern whose police officer dad fixed a parking ticket for him?. The FBI is on it.”

[hedda_foil]

6. It's a hypothetical example -- a "what if" -- not something that's really happened.

[Nuggets]

7. I agree in this WP article it's hypothetical

however, the FBI has now made the “extremely careless “ comment going against protocol.

The FBI gave a feeble “warning” to the Clinton campaign’s front desk about possibly being hacked by Russia

Then they held onto A Weiner’s phone emails until the 11th hour causing Comey to call the Republicans about him having to look into more info, lied about the weeks , maybe months it would take to crosscheck the emails.

Comey then waited until a week before the election to clear Clinton’ s name, too long for mail in votes.


Then the FBI doesn’t want Obama to inform public about Russian hacking and election interference with an added threat from McConnell.

Then they were used to do a half assed investigation to get the headlines the Kavanaugh was clean was even though they refused to interview all this witnesses who called the FBI
directly

Rosenstein , who took over direction if the FBI investigation is now outed as dirty.

Given their history, I’d say the WP is spot on with the probability the FBI will be “right on it.”


So again I ask, why does the FBI allow themselves to be used like ths?