Krugman: The FBI has become America's Praetorian Guard, and they installed Caligula as emperor

[highplainsdem]

https://twitter.com/paulkrugman/status/820241234228838400

So, basically the FBI has become America's Praetorian Guard, and they installed Caligula as emperor

The tweet links to this article from the Independent:

Former MI6 agent Christopher Steele's frustration as FBI sat on Donald Trump Russia file for months

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-russia-dossier-file-investigation-hacking-christopher-steele-mi6-a7526901.html

[Bohunk68]

1. I call him the Cowardly Lying Orange Cokehead Caligula.

Am I being way too sweet? Maybe Mango Mussolini?

[Mc Mike]

3. Far too kind, Bo. nT.

[NBachers]

2. Yes- a president who is historically harmful and fucked up on a homeric level.

[ewagner]

4. Apparently....

Steele was frustrated and angry about the FBI's failure to pursue the documents he provided...

and

He was especially concerned about the New York FBI office and their loyalties to Guilianni. (sp but I don't care)

The Praetorian Guard analogy is quite accurate but there is no "bright line" of checks and balances against a law enforcement agency gone rogue.

[Ligyron]

16. Just spell it Ghoulianni

or @#$%##! traitor.

[Tiberius Adams]

5. All Together Now

The people who we elected picked him. Take a deep breathe and then contact your representatives.

[JNelson6563]

6. True but let's talk about how that story ends...

[KittyWampus]

8. It appears we just have to keep beating these venal, power hungry morons down

repeatedly.

[FarCenter]

7. In the last two decades, the FBI has morphed from domestic crime fighting to national security

The national security establishment has controlled every president since they removed JFK.

In this case, they must have concluded that it would be easier to control Trump than Clinton.

[Raster]

15. Yep. Just as in 2000, when Al Gore was not allowed to lawfully ascend to the Presidency...

...Here in 2016, similar forces -AND PERHAPS SOME OF THE SAME PLAYERS- have done, and will continue to do everything they can to make sure that Hillary Clinton does not become President of the United States.

IMHO, factions within the FBI -and other branches of government, factions in the Kremlin and a loose cabal of ultra-conservative, right-wing billionaires and their families are in the process of committing a coup 'd etat, using our own arcane, outdated electoral laws and infrastructure against us. They are counting on Democrats and other patriotic citizens to honor the rule of law and allow them to inflict the Dolorous Stroke by installing Donald Trump as POTUS.

[hadEnuf]

9. Obama should fire Comey before he leaves office

Who cares who Trump appoints? He's already loading his administration with lunatics anyway.

Firing Comey would send a message to the Republicans that the Democrats and the American people are not going to stand for their bullshit.

[Fast Walker 52]

12. maybe, but I'd like to see Obama do something a bit more drastic

this is a freaking emergency

[B2G]

10. What was the FBI supposed to do, if

nothing in the report could be proven?

[brush]

14. That didn't stop Comey from issuing his Oct. 28 letter on emails. He hadn't even seen them...

yet he sent the letter to Congress while sitting on intel on Trump and the Russians.

Sound fair to you?

[hadEnuf]

17. That didn't stop him from sending his letter

to congress about Clinton with no evidence though.

The evidence of Comey's treachery is obvious, unless of course we decide to talk ourselves out of it.

[Paladin]

11. Nicely put. (nt)

[Raster]

13. No fucking shit!

[keithbvadu2]

18. The Republican FBI working for their new boss

[GeorgeGist]

19. RIP ...

it up.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

20. I do not advocate violence. Looking for the alternative to this:

It comes as no surprise then that at least three further conspiracies were soon launched against Caligula's life. Were some foiled, then alas one succeeded.

Caligula's suspicion that his joint praetorian prefects, Marcus Arrecinus Clemens and his unknown colleague, were planning his assassination prompted them, in order to avoid their execution, to join a part of senators in a plot.

The conspirators found a willing assassin in the praetorian officer Cassius Chaerea, whom Caligula had openly mocked at court for his effeminacy.

In 24 January AD 41 Cassius Chaerea, together with two military colleagues fell upon the emperor in a corridor of his palace.

Some of his German personal guards rushed to his aid but came too late. Several praetorians then swept through the palace seeking to kill any surviving relatives. Caligula's fourth wife Caesonia was stabbed to death, her baby daughter's skull smashed against a wall.

The scene was truly a gruesome one, but it freed Rome from the insane rule of a tyrant.

Caligula had been emperor for less than four years.

http://www.roman-empire.net/emperors/caligula.html

[Warpy]

21. I'm delighted other people are seeing all the Caligula parallels

for having this monstrosity installed into office.

The only good thing is that Caligula lasted only 3 years and 10 months and was slaughtered by his hand picked Praetorian Guard. This is in an Empire controlled by one family that managed to parade as a Republic for over 500 years. Things are moving much more quickly now.

[dalton99a]

22. Or the invincible Commodus who fearlessly slaughtered gladiators in the Coliseum.

Said gladiators had to use dulled blades to fight him. The guy also killed countless animals and handicapped people for sport.

[TheFrenchRazor]

23. that is exactly what it is. america is a nation of kleptokratic oligarchs, just like Russia. nt

[UTUSN]

24. ...