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2/16/2018

"DO NO HARM"- it's no 'joke'!

Have you seen the following smear job against the Democratic leadership (and the Roman Catholic Church perhaps)?  When confronted recently about this Facebook post that was received over email by some local citizens, former NY Assemblyman David Townsend admitted that he sent it out, but called it “a joke.”

Dave Townsend
How the Church handles delicate situations

SAINT NANCY
Last Saturday afternoon in Washington, D.C. an aide to Nancy Pelosi visited the Bishop of the Catholic Cathedral in D.C. He told the Cardinal that Nancy Pelosi would be attending the next day's Mass and asked if the Cardinal would kindly point out Pelosi to the congregation and say a few words that would include calling Pelosi a saint.
The Cardinal replied, "No. I don't really like the woman, and there are issues of conflict with the Catholic Church over some of Pelosi's views." Pelosi's aide then said, "Look, I'll write a check here and now for a donation of $100,000 to you if you'll just tell the congregation you see Pelosi as a saint."
The Cardinal thought about it and said, "Well, the Church can use the money, so I'll work your request into tomorrow's sermon." As Pelosi's aide promised, Nancy Pelosi appeared for the Sunday worship and seated herself prominently at the forward left side of the center aisle. As promised, at the start of his sermon, the Cardinal pointed out that Ms. Pelosi was present.
The Cardinal went on to explain to the congregation, "While Ms. Pelosi's presence is probably an honor to some, the woman is not numbered among my personal favorite personages. Some of her most egregious views are contrary to tenets of the Church, and she tends to flip-flop on many other issues. Nancy Pelosi is a petty, self-absorbed hypocrite, a thumb sucker, and a nit-wit. Nancy Pelosi is also a serial liar, a cheat, and a thief. I must say, Nancy Pelosi is the worst example of a Catholic I have ever personally witnessed. She married for money and is using her wealth to lie to the American people. She also has a reputation for shirking her Representative obligations both in Washington and in California . The woman is simply not to be trusted."
The Cardinal concluded. "But, when compared with Hillary Clinton, Ms. Pelosi is a saint."

A JOKE….?  

Oh, it probably meets the broad definition of a joke – i.e., “a simple, basic word for anything said or done in fun or to excite laughter and may apply to remarks, anecdotes, pranks, etc.” It is also defined in the dictionary as somewhat RARE now for “joke” to mean “to make fun of; make a person the object of jokes or teasing.”

Unfortunately, it’s not rare anymore; not with Trump in the White House. As long as he is there, jokes will consist of something quite contrary to fun and laughter. As bad as Trump’s presence and behavior are as examples for our children (and even for adults who act like children), what worries me equally are the 35-40% of the electorate who support Trump no matter what he does, and who have an almost insatiable taste for someone who lies every day; denigrates anyone who disagrees with him; calls them mocking names and makes hurtful jokes about them.

Here are two more definitions that you should know about in this context:

1) “a form of aggressive behavior in which someone intentionally and repeatedly causes another person injury or discomfort; can take the form of physical contact, words or more subtle actions” (APA – American Psychological Association) including unkind jokes or tricks directed toward the victim.

2) “any systematic dissemination or promotion of particular ideas, doctrines, practices or allegations to further one’s own cause or to damage an opposing one; now often used disparagingly to connote deception or distortion.” ((New World Dictionary)

I’m confident that you know something about what these definitions reference – they refer to bullying and propagandizing. It’s certainly not difficult to imagine that what has been posted and sent out by Mr. Townsend fits quite nicely into the two topics introduced here by definition. Especially since we have learned that other far-Right Republican operatives are distributing similar materials in their districts. And this week's hearing in the Senate with intelligence agency heads, makes it very plain that the Russians will be attempting to collude with these radical Republicans to influence the outcomes of the 2018 election. In fact, the testimony from these leaders of intelligence made it clear that the Russians have begun their plans to again disrupt our elections. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s indictments against 13 individual Russians underline this testimony.

Here’s what we have learned in relation to this so-called ‘joke’:

· The National Republican Congressional Committee conducted a survey across a mix of 40 House districts, including 30 that are competitive, during the second week of January that showed Republicans trailing by only four points on the generic ballot. Party officials said the tax bill was above water and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was more unpopular than any other political figure.

· NBC News’s Alex Johnson reports: “In an interview with Fox News … Tillerson said Russia was gearing up to meddle in the 2018 U.S. elections following the playbook it used in 2016. Saying Russia has ‘a lot of different tools’ at its disposal, he said: ‘I don't know that I would say we are better prepared, because the Russians will adapt, as well. The point is, if it's their intention to interfere, they are going to find ways to do that.

In addition to Facebook and Twitter, Russian trolls also dominated the blogging platform Tumblr in the run-up to the 2016 election. The trolls generated hundreds of thousands of anti–Hillary, pro–Bernie interactions and posted divisive messages aimed at highlighting racial injustice in the United States. This appears to have been part of an ongoing campaign since early 2015,” said Jonathan Albright, a top researcher at Columbia University. (Washington Post)

Joke of the Day: Nancy Pelosi is a saint -- by EDITOR on JULY 21, 2011 (Ihatethemedia.com)

Arizonahuntingforums.com resurrected and updated the same joke in its “Joke Thread” on Feb. 4, 2018

But, the origin of this joke apparently goes back even further according to the claim on gunandgame.com that it got mentioned in a March 2009 Discussion in 'The Powder Keg' by Brother Bob, Evangelist, Mar 21, 2009. Note the names of politicians which may indicate an even earlier origin of this ‘joke’.

“The Cardinal completed his view of Pelosi with, "But, when compared to Senators Ted Kennedy, Harry Reid, and John Kerry, House Speaker Pelosi is a saint." (Gunandgame.com)


So, Mr. Townsend – let’s get back to critical reality. Just why would you be resurrecting what appears to be a vintage Republican joke (at least 9 years old) about Nancy Pelosi? I suspect there could be an array of answers, since this ‘joke’ appears to have been used for over a decade as a propaganda piece, not only to paint Nancy Pelosi in the worst possible light, but to include any politician (Democrat) who Republicans need to defame.

Why go after Nancy Pelosi? Well, why not? Republican research indicates that she remains something of a ‘lightening rod’ to the base of the GOP – the Alt Right. Since their latest research indicates that she is “more unpopular than any other politician” why not use her as a surrogate or whipping post for all Democrats, especially in tight district races?

But, Mr. Townsend, it’s still puzzling to me why you have brought this old saw to the foreground. Did you just find it on a website like gunandgame.com and feel it necessary to post it on Facebook and email it because it is so-o-o-o very funny? I realize you may not wish to answer so here are some of my conclusions:

· You’ll do anything necessary to help One-Term Tenney keep her congressional seat in 2018, and you know it’s going to have to include some ‘propaganda’ like this smarmy joke to turn out the votes of the base of your Party.

· My guess is that Rep. Tenney couldn’t risk the backlash from such a nasty little joke being circulated by her campaign, so you acted as her surrogate by putting it out under your name. Not bad reasoning….

· But Dave (can I call you ‘Dave’ now that we’re getting down to the ‘nitty-gritty’?), Nancy Pelosi is NOT the issue in this campaign. The issue is the non-representative, non-active and non-interactive, non-present, non-focused, non-listening Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, from the 22nd District of New York, who fawns over Donald J. Trump as if he is the next Fuhrer. Her loyalty to this crude dude is typical of her misplaced loyalty to sponsors and oligarchic funders from Washington D.C. and elsewhere. She prefers to represent Trump and special interests than to do the work of representing her constituents back home.

· Maybe you do not understand or appreciate the threat that Russia poses to our elections and to the cherished right to vote. Are Russian Trolls making comments on Nancy Pelosi and Democratic candidates right now using propaganda jokes just like this to smear whomever they choose?

· Let me ask, as I hope others will: are you aiding and abetting the Russians by posting this rotten little joke? Are you thereby inviting Russian trolls to download it from your webpage to incite a base constituency to elect Trump and Tenney, neither of whom have taken strong steps to stop the Russian technocrats or oligarchs; nor have they strongly supported more sanctions against the Russians for their prior interference in our elections of 2012 and 2016.

I In my opinion, you seem to be inviting Russian interference once again by pointing them to a joke that seems to endure in its appeal to a base crowd. And why do I have confidence in my opinion about this? Because I personally know of their ability to take material from innocent social media users and personal Bloggers to be used to their advantage wherever they choose.

Sorry Dave – this is not just a joke to make us laugh. This is a bullying propaganda piece that has been around for at least a decade. It has been used to smear Democratic leadership, and thereby to lessen the chances of Democrat wins in swing districts that hold the key to winning back the House. The joke even has a punch-line that has interchangeable parts. Anyone can use it to castigate a candidate or office-holder, they just need to insert the desired name(s) of an opponent. Hm-m-m-m, wonder who might be targeted next?

So, Dave – Mr. Townsend – it’s past time to take down your nasty propaganda piece. It’s not just a joke and was never intended to be just a joke. It’s a smear tactic that has worked in other races and at other times. But, our times call for something that this so-called ‘joke’ fails to do. These dark times under Trump’s authoritarian, de-constructive mode of operation, plus collusion with the Russians, calls for a new and different approach.

We are sick of bullying, of name-calling, of violence being praised and encouraged. We are upset by the alienation of our allies on the world stage. We are angry with the outrageous and overwrought support of the richest 1% among us. And, we’re not happy being forced to pay it off by cuts and increases levied against our own middle class. But, we are most alarmed by the hate-filled, racist, nationalistic, white supremacist attitudes and personnel that pervade this administration from the top down. And, let it be known, that we are finally disgusted by the attitude that 99% of the citizens are pawns in a game that results in the widest gulf ever seen between the filthy rich and the rest of us. This is the destruction (not just de-construction) of public service, public education, and community development that is not only un-called for but devastating for our citizenry.

Government is not meant to take care of everyone, but government is also not meant to harm its citizens. Our government is mandated to “promote the General Welfare.” By using budgets and department heads to de-construct our administrative government, the current administration is making every effort to abuse people, not to promote their general welfare. We cannot further abide the destruction of lives by attacks on health care, food stamps, meals on wheels, or on special meals in the schools. We cannot abide the destruction of programs that enable young children to become more than ready for elementary schooling -- as Head Start has been shown to do; nor can we endure cuts of Pell grants and high interest rates continued on college loans.

Considering very recent BREAKING NEWS, we are sickened by the lack of control of gun violence which goes on and on, no matter how many children, grandchildren, teenagers, adults and senior adults are taken from us – innocent people killed by perpetrators who should never have been able to obtain a gun in the first place. The reaction from 2nd Amendment addicts is to flee from the underlying knotty problems and results of the loss-of-life that go much deeper, because our leaders do not deal well with complications.

Instead, they exacerbate the violence by proposing more guns, more police presence, more restrictive surveillance and all the protection for guns that can possibly be put forth. We are being bamboozled by an organization – the NRA – that cares little about the welfare of people, and more than usual about profitable gun sales by gun makers.

And so, Trump and his minions – like David Townsend and Claudia Tenney -- continue to do absolutely nothing to protect our citizens, except to say that mental health treatment must be improved. And that is nothing more than a palliative that misdirects, but does not resolve deep-rooted problems.

They would rather crudely joke about Nancy Pelosi than face a truly complicated and pervasive crisis that is becoming what many claim as a “new normal.” Amazing isn’t it? – the new normal in America is the killing of children with little on-going reaction, no solutions, no legislation, no research, no results – just more guns and more killings. Congress and the Executive seem devoid and afraid of any deep emotions which might disrupt their 'new normal.'

Is it so difficult to be a politician and still maintain human sensitivity and humane behavior? Is Party ideology and the need to win elections that much more important than protecting and enhancing innocent lives?

To be clear about this, de-construction is destruction, and our government is being blocked and prevented from carrying out its major responsibility of taking care of the people’s welfare. This is serious. It is not a laughing matter. It is not a joke. And the commitment of those of us who do care is not a matter for derision in the form of a ridiculous “joke.”

We take it personally when our children, our grandchildren, and our brothers and sisters throughout this country (and the world) are harmed by a government that seeks the welfare only of a chosen few. So, let it be equally clear that the stand-alone tax cut law and the Trump Budget now before the Congress will not be a cure-all for our critical issues, like gun violence.

First, because this ‘hyped’ middle bracket tax cut will be wiped out by the rise of other costs such as healthcare premiums and an expected rise in gas prices, home mortgages and maybe in property taxes.

Despite Trump’s exaggerated claims of what his only major legislation will accomplish, the tax ‘reform’ Act does little or nothing to address our crises, because Trump/Ryan budgets continue to attack the very programs and services – including mental health programs – that might allow for more research, and the chance to resolve some of the problems that produce gun violence. It is a sham -- like so many of the shams of the Trump administration -- because just as Trump calls for additional funding in Mental Health, his budget proposes huge cuts in the entities that operate those programs. You can’t come up with solutions by undertaking opposing budgetary strategies.

This is not a ‘new normal’; it is a crisis, and we are going to feel its effects in many aspects of our lives as its outcomes fall negatively upon us for many years to come. Invective in the form of political rhetoric; lie-filled propaganda used to win elections; and jokes that belittle not only public service, but every one of those killed by gun violence, is the epitome of unacceptable behavior.

Take the ‘joke’ down, Dave. It’s not only an affront to the persons it names, it is personally insulting to all those of us who believe that “do no harm” and ‘love thy neighbor’ are more than sayings. These are moral imperatives for individuals and their governments meant to create a ‘new normal’ of equal justice, equal access to the pursuit of happiness, and equal protection of our inherent human rights and freedoms, not only for ourselves, but for all the People.

2/05/2018

Another Authoritarian Building-Block

Unlike the mainstream Media, this Blog has not attempted to down-play or hide the truth or the reality of the ‘deconstruction plan’ of the Trump administration, as conceived by Donald Trump and Steve Bannon (and other “special advisors”). “De-construction” is little more than a euphemism for their anti-democratic value system.  Their ideology is closer to that of fascism than to conservative Republicanism, and their tactics are often those of Nazism.  Their alleged collusion with the Russians is bad enough, but their concept of deconstruction may be worse.  I have dealt with this several times along the way (see my Blog postings of 8/6, 8/14 and 4/15 in 2017, 4/1/2016 and 11/16/2015). 

Until very recently, the mainstream Media has been shy about this, even denying that there is such a “plan.”  Those who down-play the de-construction plan fail to understand, that Trump and many of his cabinet members and staff are wedded to ideas and tactics that are found among those of the Farthest Right.   It is past time to at least recognize the Trump acceptance and practice of concepts and tactics that resemble those present in almost every Fascist government and regime.  Or, put another way:  we must focus on the fact that democratic values are not as important to this administration as authoritarian ideology and leadership. 

I know it is difficult to fathom that an overthrow of our democratic government could happen, but please consider what has already happened in relation to the 14 common characteristic actions of fascist regimes, as studied and enumerated by Professor Larry Briggs and detailed in my last Blog posting.  I encourage you to review them in that previous post. 

Trump may not have a well-thought-out Plan to make us over into a fascist country, but he is already acting upon internalized values, beliefs and experiences that drive his actions, as they have always done.   Denying the existence and danger of that poisonous strain in this potential despot is dangerous.  Just ask those hundreds of victims who have taken him to Court, or the many other countries that have been corrupted, overtaken and devastated in the wake of authoritarians who acted upon their fascist beliefs, myths and biases, while the bulk of the citizenry (and too many in their media) lived – and died -- in denial of that possibility. 

Before I identify another sign-post of authoritarian Far Right actions involved in de-construction, let me briefly point out what I consider to be major elements of ‘the Plan’ that are already either accomplished, well on their way to being accomplished, or are just being inaugurated.

1) Capture the judicial authority.  With the approval of the most recent SCOTUS Justice Neil M. Gorsuch and with the appointment of numerous justices to lower courts, this important piece of the Plan is well underway.  After all, what better strategy can you employ than to have the Supreme judicial authority that invalidates and calls for re-writes of Constitutional provisions and mandates-- be on your side in terms of both leadership philosophy and political ideology?

Watch what happens.  If the SCOTUS begins making decisions in issue areas that loosen requirements for justice, negatively affect the rights of minority citizens, or impose religious beliefs of one group upon others;  back immigration restrictions, uphold elimination of subsidies or coverage in terms of healthcare; allow corporations and other business entities to deny certain employee benefits if they conflict with religious beliefs of the employer; or lessens the right to vote in any way, you will be witnessing our constitutional democratic value system “de-constructed’ before your eyes. And that result can only improve the chances that the capture of the Judiciary will mean that it is no longer independent of partisan politics and philosophy; no longer on the side of justice for all citizens and those seeking that status, but is a willing participant in the building of an authoritarian government. 

2)  Capture the Legislative Branch
The release of the Devin Nunes memo has focused a laser beam on the Congress; mainly on the Republicans in that bi-cameral body.  Without getting side-tracked into the controversy surrounding this summary ‘report’ written by Senate Intelligence (?) Committee staffers, this “fake news” indicates exactly what is happening…Mr. Trump seized on the memo to assert that it renders the Russia investigation moot. “This memo totally vindicates ‘Trump’ in probe,” he wrote on Twitter. “After one year of looking endlessly and finding NOTHING, collusion is dead. This is an American disgrace!”

This is not the first time that Nunes has carried “intelligence” given him by the White House.  He is a lackey – a Trump servant – who is now working to protect this President so that Trump can reign for another 4 years.  Instead of acting as a member of an independent branch of government and refusing to have his Committee used (and tarnished) by this President, Nunes has given up the unique check on presidential power.  In working as a political operative with this President, he has signaled his capture.  Others around him, like Speaker Ryan and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are no less responsible for the capture of the legislative branch as they lead the defense of this “collusion” between Trump and Nunes and lack of the same between Trump and Russia.

Apparently, an oath of office to “protect and defend the Constitution” has little meaning to Nunes, some other Republican members of his Committee, and those Senators and Representatives who speak out only to protect and defend their President, but do not speak out when obstruction of justice is in the making.

3)  Prelude to a Coup
 In my estimation, another sign-post of Far-Right regimes is the de-construction of independent policing and intelligence-gathering authorities, and the construction of a federal policing authority responsible to, contained within, and dependent upon, the Office of the Fuhrer (oops, I meant ‘President’).

Without going into all the details of the back-and-forth between Trump and Congress and the compelling investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, there are important questions to be asked that go beyond separate events and behaviors and cannot, and must not, be ignored.
For instance, why is Trump so vehemently attacking the integrity of independent law enforcement and investigative agencies like the FBI and the CIA, the SNA, and his own Department of Justice?  Is it simply to denigrate the investigators to such an extent that they will not be trusted when indictments or criminal or impeachment charges are brought? 

Is this merely an effort to diminish the Mueller team, or is it a far deeper and more sinister effort to denigrate federal policing agencies to extreme lengths so that the populace (or Trump’s base plus some of the general public) will acquiesce in favor of a national police authority responsible to, and under the orders of, this authoritarian Executive?

Trump’s legal team appeared to come down on the affirmative side of this question by asserting that the President has the ability to fire the head of the FBI, and the Special Counsel.  Indeed, according to the latest breaking news, the President did order the firing of Robert Mueller last June, and ironically, what stopped him was his own White House Counsel threatening to resign if he persisted. 
 
There is more to this than meets the eye, in my opinion.  There has been a pattern developing in the past year that adds weight to the suggestion that there is in this President’s authoritarian tool box the possibility of a national police authority responsible to him and under his oversight.  Let us review some of what has happened (and been declared) in an admittedly incomplete and partial time line.

1/23/2017 – Trump signs Executive Order to put freeze on federal hiring.    The order directs that no vacant positions can be filled, or new positions created, unless an agency head deems the position "necessary to meet national security or public safety responsibilities." The freeze would allegedly end once the Office of Management and Budget created a "long-term plan to reduce the size of the Federal Government's workforce through attrition." (The Hill).  It did end in 90 days, but the long-term effects on government are yet to be determined.

March 2017 -- Jeff Sessions recused himself from Russian collusion investigation—"three weeks after his swearing-in and fifteen weeks after his nomination. In Trump’s view: ‘Sessions should have never recused himself, and if he was going to recuse himself, he should have told me before he took the job, and I would have picked somebody else.’

He twice describes Sessions’ decision as ‘unfair to the president,’ seemingly unaware that his recusal was almost surely compelled by Justice Department recusal rules. That is, the President is openly expressing bitterness toward his attorney general for following the rules—because the rules don’t favor Trump’s interests. He wants an attorney general who will actively supervise the Justice Department, and the Russia investigation, in a fashion congenial to his interests, and he has no compunction about saying so explicitly. He made perfectly clear that he regrets appointing Sessions.
He made equally clear that Sessions’ job is, in his mind, a personal service contract to him and that if Sessions couldn’t deliver on service to Trump, he shouldn’t have taken the position.” ( Benjamin Wittes, July 20, 2017)

June 2017 – Trump on Twitter: “I am being investigated for firing the FBI Director by the man who told me to fire the FBI Director!” While Trump has previously admitted that Rosenstein’s memo criticizing Comey was pretextual and that the president would have dismissed the FBI director regardless… saying, “Now, perhaps I would have fired Comey anyway, and it certainly didn’t hurt to have the letter, O.K.”

In a separate interview with the New York Times, Trump “issued a stunning vote of no-confidence in basically everyone currently in a leadership position in the Justice Department, the FBI, or the special counsel’s office—in other words, not just some federal law enforcement, but all of it. The President’s rebuke reaches everyone from the attorney general to staff attorneys hired by Robert Mueller—whose investigation he pointedly did not promise not to terminate. His complaint? They’re all, in different ways, not serving him. And serving him, he makes clear, is “their real job.”

If, on reading this, it sounds like the President believes that law enforcement should be at his personal beck and call, that’s because that is, in fact, exactly what he believes. We know this because he made this belief perfectly clear in the interview as well. At one point, he offered an extraordinary account of the history of the FBI and its relationship to the Justice Department. He indicated that around the time of the Nixon administration, “out of courtesy, the F.B.I. started reporting to the Department of Justice.” He continued: “But there was nothing official, there was nothing from Congress. There was nothing — anything. But the FBI person really reports directly to the president of the United States, which is interesting. You know, which is interesting.”

Trump’s logic isn’t easy to follow here, but his core claim is unmistakable—and “interesting” is a generous word for it: the FBI director serves the president. As a matter of constitutional hierarchy, this is of course true. But in investigative matters, the FBI director does not, or should not, serve the president by reporting to him. He serves the president by leading law enforcement in an independent and apolitical fashion. And it is fundamentally corrupt for any president to be asking him to do otherwise."

The astonishing implication of Trump’s view is that he believes the president may shut down an FBI investigation that displeases him. Indeed, Trump went so far as to say that too: when explaining why it would not be a problem even if he had told Comey to drop the Flynn investigation, he stated, “other people go a step further. I could have ended that whole thing just by saying—they say it can’t be obstruction because you can say: ‘It’s ended. It’s over. Period'."

In a single interview in which the President of the United States expresses no-confidence in the attorney general, the deputy attorney general, the special counsel, the acting FBI director, and the special counsel’s staff, and in which he makes clear that the FBI should be his personal force and that all of law enforcement should be about serving him, the result is an environment in which the President can say these things without obvious consequence, at least for now.

We are in a dangerous moment—one in which the President, with his infinite sense of grievance, feels entitled publicly, without obvious consequences, to attack the entire federal law enforcement apparatus, and that apparatus, in turn, lacks a single person with the stature, the institutional position, and the fortitude to stand up to him.  Since deputy F.B.I. director, Andrew G. McCabe, was pushed out recently, possibly Chris Wray, Trump’s appointee heading the FBI is the only one left to make such a stand.

WE the PEOPLE must become warier and resist the efforts of this President to create a damaged FBI that is responsible to him and him alone.  WE the PEOPLE must recognize and resist the possibility of any kind of nationalized police or intelligence authority under the office of the President and responsible only to him in a secretive pact of some kind.  

If Trump is indeed the fascist authoritarian leader that many suspect he is, there will soon enough be an attempt to inaugurate such a “President’s Guard” or “Secret Militia” or “Presidential Youth Corps” that will protect, defend and carry out missions for, the Presidente.  It is the SS, the Storm Troopers, the Palace Guard, the Hitler Youth all over again.  If anything of the kind appears in the near future (as I expect it might if Trump is not impeached), given this President’s rhetoric and actions, you will know for sure that this democracy is dead, and that resistance in the form of political demonstrations will also be totally ineffective.

BREAKING NEWS:

WASHINGTON — “The attacks are having an impact. A new SurveyMonkey poll for Axios, a news website, showed that only 38 percent of Republicans have a favorable view of the F.B.I., compared to 64 percent of Democrats. In interviews, more than a dozen officials who work at or recently left the Justice Department and the F.B.I. said they feared that the president was mortgaging the credibility of those agencies for his own short-term political gain as he seeks to undercut the Russia inquiry.  (NY Times, 2/3/2018)

"This should be a matter of grave concern for every American. This is a test whether in this country we can have an independent investigation of the powerful when the powerful are not happy about it," (Naftali said on CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront.")