Trump is urging the Justice Department to investigate his perceived opponents. Thats unusual.

[Bill USA]

Republicans have a frightening facility with the techniques of totalitarianism.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2017/02/17/trump-is-urging-the-justice-department-to-investigate-his-perceived-opponents-thats-unusual/?utm_term=.cc6dd6a8927f

How far is President Trump willing to go in directing that the government’s investigative machinery be used to go after his opponents, real or perceived?

Charlie Savage and Eric Lichtblau have a good piece this morning that raises this question, by seizing on an important passage from Trump’s unhinged press conference on Thursday. Trump said this:

“I’ve actually called the Justice Department to look into the leaks. Those are criminal leaks….It’s a criminal act.”

This came in response to questions about Trump’s tweets on Thursday morning, in which he lashed out at the media and at “low-life leakers” and vowed that the latter would be “caught.” The leakers were responsible for recent revelations that have rocked his administration politically. Among them: The news that our intelligence services have established contacts between Russia and the Trump campaign and that the Justice Department warned that former national security adviser Michael Flynn misrepresented his contacts with the Russian ambassador, making him vulnerable to blackmail.

(more)

okay, time to draw up articles of impeachment. THEre's no place for Stalin or Hitler in a Democracy.

[Wellstone ruled]

1. OMG!!!

Nixon White House on Roids my friends. This Guy is bashing the press to feed his rapid base and this is just another of Steve Bannon's Game Plan. More to come.

[denverbill]

2. That's what I always figured would be Trump's undoing. His desire for revenge.

I figured he'd order a tax audit on someone that criticized him or something and some low level clerk would rat him out. He's too dumb to know what's legal and not and seems to think the President is supposed to have unlimited power. Bannon or someone with more than half a brain might have stopped him, but given the right-wing's penchant for dirty tricks who knows?

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Gotta hand it to Reagan.

He had plenty of opponents, knew it, and said "Whatever . . . . . "