Dear Friend,
Former President Donald Trump’s lawyers are arguing before the Supreme Court that the President should have immunity from criminal prosecution. It reminds me of Richard Nixon’s famous remark uttered during the Watergate scandal, that “if a President does it, then it’s not illegal.” |
The difference between now and Nixon’s time is that back then, the entire nation realized what an absurd statement that was. We considered it settled that no man is above the law! But hey, what’s a fundamental pillar of our system thrown away here or there? We've become so tolerant of watering down the fundamental principles of American justice, that things which would have gotten a “What are you talking about!?!” fifty years ago just get an “Oh, well, everybody does it” from too many today.
To me, the co-equality of the three branches of government is sacrosanct. When people would ask me on the campaign trail “How would you work with Congress?” I always pointed out that no matter who was President, she would hope for a House and Senate aligned with her vision. The President doesn’t have a magic wand, and in America we don’t want the President to have a magic wand. The President, just like any other citizen, must work within the confines of the law. And those confines are there in large part to keep Presidential power in check.
The corporatist majority on today’s Supreme Court seems open to the idea of giving Trump at least some of the immunity he is requesting, setting what is in my mind a very bad precedent. We’re simply going to have to ride out this unfortunate chapter marked by the corporate capture of the Supreme Court. One of the the many satisfactions of my campaign has been keeping alive within people’s mind what this country is supposed to be, even when we are veering from the best of what we are.
In the presence of lies, it’s so important to tell the truth. |
