From ProPublica, the problems with the FBI’s email investigation went well beyond Comey. From TPM, Josh Marshall on how to understand James Comey; and how the Trump tax return/Russia letter is full of holes. The Senate starts to look at Trump’s businesses. Eric Schneiderman on keeping Trump in check and maybe, maybe, investigating the Russian ties. Julian Sanchez on a misplaced focus on “collusion”. A president cannot “hire and fire whoever he wants”: Trump is not the “CEO of the country” — he’s not even the CEO of the federal government; he’s the head of one branch, but there are two co-equal branches. Firing James Comey to impede an investigation isn’t smoke — it’s fire.
Senate Dems have a doomed strategy on Comey — activists want them to go nuclear (and more). The Russia scandal is driving Trump mad; it might undo him — and the Republicans. Republicans are abetting Trump’s abuse of power. This is how democratic backsliding begins: Coups are out — the erosion of the rule of law more typically occurs through the curbing of watchdog agencies.
