“This is flabbergasting”
There is a very real and growing threat that President Donald Trump will ignite a constitutional crisis.
The most obvious way this could happen is through the removal of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. It has been reported that Trump actually ordered the firing of the man in charge of the Russia investigation last June. However, Trump backed off when White House counsel Don McGahn threatened to quit rather than go through with it.
To this end, there are currently two bipartisan bills in the U.S. Senate that seek to protect Mueller, or any future special counsels, from interference. Public Citizen has setup an action page to make it easier for our members to encourage their senators to take action on these important bills.
It’s important not to lose sight of the fact that there are other red lines that Trump could cross which would also kick-off a constitutional crisis. One that had been largely overlooked thus far was thrust into the spotlight yesterday. The New York Times is reporting that John Dowd discussed pardoning two former top advisors to Trump. Dowd had served as Trump’s lead counsel, until abruptly resigning last week.
George Conway, a lawyer and spouse to Trump insider Kellyanne Conway, had this to say about the story:
This is flabbergasting. https://t.co/J0OnbQLXQu
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) March 28, 2018
Conway’s reaction makes sense when you look at the bigger picture. By signaling to Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn’s lawyers that a pardon was on the table, Trump’s team made it less likely that they would cooperate with Mueller’s investigation, since they may not have to face any penalties if convicted.
Nearly a quarter million people have signed up to participate in more than 800 peaceful protests in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., if Trump attempts to fire Mueller or impede Mueller’s criminal investigation. Trump trying to shut down the investigation by pardoning those around him will cross the redline as well. Join the movement by visiting us at TrumpIsNotAboveTheLaw.org.