This week the New York Times published a lengthy report on president Trump’s “two-year war” against the various investigations surrounding him. The report details Trump's repeated efforts to undermine the special counsel investigation and other criminal probes of him and his campaign. The pattern of conduct by the nation's top law enforcement officer is unprecedented and extremely troubling. But what doesn’t get enough attention is how little effect the president’s attacks have actually had. The Department of Justice has proven remarkably resistant to president Trump’s efforts to obstruct justice. Trump’s statements and actions (or attempted actions) are often likened to those of the authoritarian leaders whom he seems to admire. Certainly leaders in a totalitarian country have little difficulty manipulating the legal system to protect themselves and punish their enemies. But standing in Trump’s way in this country has been his own Department of Justice, along with the independent judiciary. The president has found it much more difficult to bend the rule of law to his will than he probably imagined.
Trump, Obstruction, and the Resilience of the DOJ
Trump, Obstruction, and the Resilience of the…
Trump, Obstruction, and the Resilience of the DOJ
This week the New York Times published a lengthy report on president Trump’s “two-year war” against the various investigations surrounding him. The report details Trump's repeated efforts to undermine the special counsel investigation and other criminal probes of him and his campaign. The pattern of conduct by the nation's top law enforcement officer is unprecedented and extremely troubling. But what doesn’t get enough attention is how little effect the president’s attacks have actually had. The Department of Justice has proven remarkably resistant to president Trump’s efforts to obstruct justice. Trump’s statements and actions (or attempted actions) are often likened to those of the authoritarian leaders whom he seems to admire. Certainly leaders in a totalitarian country have little difficulty manipulating the legal system to protect themselves and punish their enemies. But standing in Trump’s way in this country has been his own Department of Justice, along with the independent judiciary. The president has found it much more difficult to bend the rule of law to his will than he probably imagined.