"A year into Donald Trump's second term, the Department of Justice has become his private law firm, devoted less to the impartial administration of justice than to blackmailing, intimidating, and persecuting Trump's foes while selectively enforcing the law to spare allies who break it. The chairman of the Federal Reserve reveals that the Justice Department has been attempting to blackmail him into lowering interest rates with the threat of a federal indictment."
"The Supreme Court's 2024 decision to grant presidents "absolute immunity" to criminal prosecution for "official acts"-a concept with no textual basis whatsoever in the Constitution-means that Trump can abuse his authority over the executive branch with impunity. Given Trump's campaign-trail emphasis on "retribution," he probably would have pursued malicious prosecutions of his enemies regardless of the Court's decision. But the Court's grant of imperial immunity eliminated any fear Trump might have had about criminal liability for the corrupt use of his powers."
"The decision to ignore evidence that demands investigation or prosecution can be equally nefarious, as we've seen in Minneapolis, where federal authorities refused to investigate a masked government agent for shooting an unarmed mom in the face, and where half a dozen federal prosecutors have since resigned after being pushed to investigate the woman's widow instead. These are all examples of the executive branch abusing its prosecutorial discretion."
The Department of Justice has been repurposed into an instrument of political power, targeting opponents and protecting allies through selective enforcement. Federal officials and public figures who oppose the president face investigations or indictments, while credible incidents demanding inquiry have been ignored. The Justice Department allegedly attempted to coerce the Federal Reserve chair into lowering interest rates by threatening indictment. Resignations of federal prosecutors followed pressure to pursue politically motivated prosecutions. The Supreme Court's 2024 ruling granting presidents absolute immunity for official acts removes a key legal restraint, enabling unchecked misuse of executive authority and undermining prosecutorial independence.
#doj-politicization #presidential-absolute-immunity #prosecutorial-abuse #supreme-court-2024-decision
Read at The Atlantic
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