"The problem is the people who are supposed to check on #Trump are in his pocket," according to a friend of mine who is eminently sane. She has a point.
But the wheels of #justice are starting to roll. The words that have not yet been spoken are now being heard. The search is on for some form of justice that stands above party, that somehow breaks the gridlock that seems to have poisoned much of our politics. The words are familiar to anyone who went through the Watergate era as I did. I was glued to a black and white TV in the newsroom of the Berkshire Eagle.
The hero was a #Special Prosecutor named Leonidas "Leon" Jaworski. I always saw Watergate less as a scandal and more as a change to cleanse our democracy. If democracy ever needed cleansing, it is now.
Bring On the Special Prosecutor https://t.co/8GSIPCejZx Massive NONVIOLENT action needed to FORCE a nonpartisan investigation
— Stephen C. Rose (@stephencrose) February 17, 2017
The call for a #Special Prosecutor is based on two incontrovertible facts. First, Trump and others in his campaign and White House have had dealings with the Russians. Second, the partisan furor in Washington and beyond makes it imperative to have an investigation that is beyond reproach. The nearest thing we have to that is a Special Prosecutor.
@RandPaul @realDonaldTrump Work on appointing a special prosecutor, or your constituents will work on voting you out of office.
— Asteroid/Earth 2016 (@AsteroidEarth) January 11, 2017
Special Prosecutors are the best shot at justice
The call for a Special Prosecutor would be Trump's best shot at clearing his name and getting his administration on track.
But already the wheels are turning and the prospect is clear. Just as Trump has blamed President Obama for everything under the sun, he persists in using Hillary Clinton as his excuse for any transgressions he may have committed. But there is huge push back.
Erick Erickson: The intelligence community vs. Trump. We're watching a low level coup, America | https://t.co/flk7mgDIsC
— Matt Thibodeau (@mathibod) February 17, 2017
The same sort of conflict brewed during the Watetgate era.
And it turns out that even Erick Erickson who is supportice of Trump has now called for a Special Prosecutor.
Erick Erickson - We Need a Special Prosecutor https://t.co/eF3M487Bry
— Stephen C. Rose (@stephencrose) February 17, 2017
Special Prosecutors advance the drama to a fair conclusion
The outcome is predictable. If #Trump knows he is cooked, that there were ties to Russia which, on investigation, are undeniable, he will probably take the Nixon route and resign. He might in fact do that even before a Special Prosecutor is on the case. If he feels that he can win, he will accept the truth. If he broke now Law, fine.
It has come to this. This is the Rubicon. If the call for a prosecutor is smothered by partisan chaos, then the Trump drama will live on.
If a prosecutor is appointed and an investigation begins we can breathe a sign of relief. No President is above the #law and we have the means to make our democracy work, even in the face of severe strains.
But there is a fly in the ointment. The law that allows for a special prosecutor has expired. It's a 1978 law called the Independent Prosecutor Act. It expired in 1999. And guess who has to call for such a prosecutor. The Attorney General. Jeff Sessions is many things. Do they include the backbone to go against Donald Trump? Don't hold your breath.
Still, at the end of the road, whenever that comes, there will be the law and the President. If the law loses, we all lose.
