"In the span of a few hours Thursday, President Donald Trump went from claiming no knowledge of a possible indictment of former FBI director James Comey to celebrating it as "JUSTICE IN AMERICA!" In reality, Trump had handpicked the prosecutor - previously one of his own personal lawyers - in an effort to ensure it happened. It was a landmark moment in Trump's retribution campaign, one that put on full display the relentlessness of his efforts to use the criminal justice system to get back at those he feels persecuted him."
"Throughout his first term, Trump - under investigation himself for possible ties between his 2016 presidential campaign and Russians seeking to influence the outcome of the race - sought to instigate investigations into his perceived enemies. Trump's zeal prompted his White House counsel at the time, Don McGahn, to write a memo explaining what the president could and could not do. "Strong constitutional norms of nonpolitical law enforcement should also guide your decision-making and may caution against involvement in a specific matter," McGahn wrote."
President Donald Trump celebrated the indictment of former FBI director James Comey after reportedly handpicking a prosecutor who had been one of his personal lawyers. The selection exemplified a broader effort to use the criminal justice system to retaliate against perceived enemies. Actions included publicly pressing the attorney general, firing a federal prosecutor who resisted, and installing an ally over the objections of career prosecutors who deemed the evidence weak. During his first term Trump sought investigations into opponents while under investigation himself. White House counsel Don McGahn warned that norms of nonpolitical law enforcement should guide presidential conduct, but those cautions were later abandoned.
Read at Boston.com
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