Former Prosecutors Sound Alarm Bells Over Politicization Of Justice

[Arkansas Granny]

Since Donald Trump first stirred crowds on the 2016 campaign trail with calls to “lock up” Hillary Clinton, legal observers have been warning about the dangers of politicizing the U.S. justice system.

Those fears grew more urgent late last week with the news that the Justice Department has reopened its investigation into allegations of pay-for-play at the Clinton Foundation, and is also taking a fresh look at the private email server Clinton used as secretary of state. In addition, two influential Republican senators recommended charges against the author of a dossier alleging ties between Russia and the Trump campaign.

There’s no evidence that the White House had a direct hand in any of those actions. But the news comes after frequent calls by Trump for further scrutiny of all three issues, including demanding jail time both for Clinton and for Huma Abedin, a top Clinton aide ensnared in the email probe. Trump already has appeared to pressure Attorney General Jeff Sessions to act in the president’s political interest, frequently attacking the AG for failing to protect Trump from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into potential Russian collusion.

Taken together, the developments suggest a concerted effort by the Trump administration and its allies to push back against Mueller’s intensifying probe, by marshaling the full power of the federal government against the president’s political opponents. That poses a direct threat to the independence and impartiality of the justice system, former DOJ officials told TPM.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/former-justice-department-officials-concerned-reopening-clinton-foundation-probe

This is what's going on while Trump is engaging in his Twitter circus. I am beginning to believe that Republicans are using Trump like some kind of a side show to keep everyone's attention turned away from what is really happening in Washington. This could get really nasty.

[malaise]

1. This is really frightening

The stuff of banana republics - the surest sign that the chickens have come home to roost since all of them were run on behalf of banana corporations.