I’m surprised I haven’t seen a diary about this yet, but in an interview with the New York Times, Donald Trump has threatened to obstruct the #TrumpRussia investigation by firing Mueller. Trump claims that his financial dealings should not be part of the investigation and are off limits. And to top it off, in a jaw-dropping bit of hypocrisy, Trump accused Mueller of having conflicts of interest.
Mr. Trump said Mr. Mueller was running an office rife with conflicts of interest and warned investigators against delving into matters too far afield from Russia. Mr. Trump never said he would order the Justice Department to fire Mr. Mueller, nor would he outline circumstances under which he might do so. But he left open the possibility as he expressed deep grievance over an investigation that has taken a political toll in the six months since he took office.
Asked if Mr. Mueller’s investigation would cross a red line if it expanded to look at his family’s finances beyond any relationship to Russia, Mr. Trump said, “I would say yes.” He would not say what he would do about it. “I think that’s a violation. Look, this is about Russia.”
This is scary. If Trump can get away with firing the guy investigating him, then he’s not accountable for any abuses of power he may commit. This would be a huge step towards the establishment of authoritarian rule.
Firing Mueller would be right out of Nixon’s playbook with the difference being that, during the Watergate era, the Republican Party consisted of actual patriots who put country first. Today’s Republicans are likely to do nothing unless voters send a very clear signal that their jobs are on the line if they fail to act.
As bad as it would be for Trump to fire Mueller, his making this threat is itself an obstruction of justice. Clearly, Trump is trying to impede the investigation by intimidating the investigator. Trump is guilty of a crime, and it’s time for House Republicans to start drawing up articles of impeachment. Empty expressions about how “troubling” this is or how “deeply concerned” they are aren’t going to cut it anymore. We need to get Trump out of the White House before he turns the Land of the Free into the Fatherland of the Supreme Leader.