The fallout from Donald Trump's incompetently executed firing of FBI Director James Comey continues to rain down hard on his administration. Not only did he transparently interfere with an active investigation of his collusion with Russia, but he admitted as much in an interview with NBC's Lester Holt.
At one point in the interview, Holt pressed Trump "Did you ask, am I under investigation?" Trump responded saying that "I actually asked him, yes. I said, if it's possible, will you let me know, am I under investigation? He said, you are not under investigation."
That is a wholly inappropriate question for a president to ask an FBI director under any circumstances. But in this case, Trump already told Holt that the dinner where this occurred was one where Comey was seeking to stay on as director. So Trump was actually tying Comey's job prospects to the investigation. Elsewhere it was reported that Trump had tried to extract a loyalty pledge from Comey, which Comey refused.
These comments are literally impeachable offenses all by themselves. Trump's intimidation tactics were obvious and intolerable. Not surprisingly, the media reported on what he said, which always makes him mad. But this morning's tweetstorm included some frightening suggestions of a tyrannical mindset:
First of all, Trump is making excuses for his press representatives dispensing misinformation (lies) to the public. That is never acceptable. If there is some question about the facts, the correct answer is "I don't know. I'll get back to you." But Trump's people instead decided to pollute the discourse with falsehoods.
More importantly, Trump's casual suggestion that he might just cancel all future press briefings reflects his tendencies toward fascist authoritarianism. The presidency is not his fiefdom. It is a position of service to the people. Press briefings are the method by which the people's intermediaries in the media have opportunities to hold national leaders accountable. They cannot be replaced by written press releases.
What's more, Trump's anger is entirely misplaced. He's mad at the press because he and his staff are incompetent. The issue that preceded his outburst was Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders saying that Trump fired Comey at the recommendation of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. That wasn't true, and Trump himself contradicted it the next day in his interview with Holt by saying that he already planned to fire Comey regardless of the recommendation. So in Trump's deranged brain, the press must be punished and banished.
Another item in this morning's Twitter tirade was also notable for its threat to democracy and the rule of law:
REALLY? Trump is implying that he might be keeping Nixon like secret recordings. Comey isn't the one who should be worried if such tapes exist. Their existence, and Trump's use of them to intimidate, would be another justification for impeachment. And something tells me that the contents of any such tapes would affirm Comey's account of what occurred at their meetings. Trump, after all, is a pathological liar.
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