Trump Escalates Nixon War Against Justice in Slow-Motion

Saturday Night Massacre, Oct. 20, 1973, is the day that almost
saw the end of the United States as a Constitutional state

David Brinkley summed up the October 20, 1973 Saturday Night Massacre when he reported, "An investigator appointed to investigate scandals was fired because he insisted on investigating scandals."

The Trump administration is embroiled in scandals. The administration is hell-bent on destroying any institution that proposes to investigate this corrupt and unprecedented presidency.

This means the FBI, the U.S. Dept of Justice, press, non-Trump-aligned members of Congress; there is no discernible bottom to the Trump enemies list.

The preeminent investigator of Trump is Robert S. Mueller III, United States Department of Justice, appointed May 17, 2017. Mueller is under fire for investigating Trump scandals.

Mueller is charged with probing "Russian government efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election and related matters."

Mueller is acting in a manner beyond reproach, and thus we can expect today's toxic brand of Republicans to engage in character assassination of Mueller and every human resource involved in the probe, starting with the FBI.

When Trump begins his firings at the DoJ to shield his complicity in criminal conspiracies, it's certain Trump won't be guided by William D. Ruckelshaus, former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, acting F.B.I. director and deputy attorney general under President Richard Nixon before Nixon forced out Ruckelshaus and Attorney General Elliot Richardson for not firing Archibald Cox, the Watergate special prosecutor.

Writes Ruckelshaus in the New York Times last Summer:

Mr. President, don’t worry whether you have the power to pardon yourself. But do consider the wisdom of firing the man charged by your own deputy attorney general with investigating Russian intervention into your election. ...

... the situation between the White House and Richardson began to rapidly deteriorate. Elliot called to let me know, and I returned to Washington on Wednesday evening. Three days later, Elliot and I resigned after refusing to carry out President Nixon’s order to fire the special prosecutor. Cox was then dismissed by Robert Bork, who had quickly been designated acting attorney general.

The resulting public firestorm, which became known as the 'Saturday Night Massacre,' marked the beginning of the end of the Nixon presidency. Congressional support eroded, the House Judiciary Committee began impeachment hearings and the Supreme Court ordered the release of White House tapes capturing the president and his aides plotting the cover-up. Nearly 10 months after that October night, Nixon resigned.

The events of recent weeks have eerily reminded me of those Watergate days. When accusations of Russian involvement in last year’s election first surfaced, I thought President Trump could quickly put them to rest by revealing all he knew and instructing his staff to do the same, just as President Nixon could have done with the Watergate burglary in 1972.

But President Trump hasn’t done that, even though he has consistently asserted his complete innocence. Why not lay it all out for the public to judge for itself? Are we headed for another long national nightmare? For the sake of the country, I hope not.

Donald Trump is a disgrace and one hopes the investigators appointed to investigate Trump's sleaze, corruption and possibly treason press on no matter the toxic reaction from this clear and present danger to the Republic occupying the presidency.

Scott Walker Kick-off Event Bounced Ticket-holder for Signing Recall Petition

A Waukesha, Wisconsin man picked up a ticket to Scott Walker's presidential campaign kick-off event last week.

He walked into the event, was welcomed, and then politically vetted on the spot and asked to leave because he had signed the Recall Scott Walker petition.

His name had been entered into a hand-held pad by a Walker staffer and the pad indicated: Rejected.

Typical Scott Walker: Vindictive and petty.

Chris Liebenthal has the story at Crooks and Liars.

Walker believes he has a warrant from God, (and he has prayed on this, Walker says), for his political campaign, and apparently feels opposing God and Walker is wrong.

Also wrong is opposing any sneak legislation sprung onto the Wisconsin people who don't count as stakeholders in the massive social engineering project Walker is inflicting onto Wisconsin, driving away as many people as possible to Minnesota.

So look for more campaign rhetoric that Walker was and is facing massive opposition in Wisconsin linked with references to god.

Kutler on Nixon

Readers will enjoy the column of Madison's Stanley Kutler, E. Gordon Fox Emeritus Professor of U.S. Institutions, University of Wisconsin-Madison, on the anniversary of the Nixon resignation.

Kutler is a true historian, and a recognized expert on the Nixon administration, a fetid stain on our country, second only to the administration of George W. Bush.

Nixon Inspired at the Very End

Nixon. The name says much about corruption, anti-human ideology and fascism. [Bush, Rove and Cheney's type of government.]

At the last moments of his presidency, Nixon, in an apparent extemporaneous and clearly heart-felt address, left us (and the White House staff) the words below.

They remain inspiring.

One wonders if George W. Bush, facing mortality or the end of his presidency, has the intelligence and ability to reflect that made Nixon, literally at the last instant of his presidency, discover redemption and humanity.

Richard M. Nixon's Farewell Speech to the White House Staff

... We think that when someone dear to us dies, we think that when we lose an election, we think that when we suffer a defeat that all is ended. We think, as T.R. said, that the light had left his life forever.

Not true.

It is only a beginning, always. The young must know it; the old must know it. It must always sustain us, because the greatness comes not when things go always good for you, but the greatness comes and you are really tested, when you take some knocks, some disappointments, when sadness comes, because only if you have been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.

Always give your best, never get discouraged, never be petty; always remember, others may hate you, but those who hate you don't win unless you hate them, and then you destroy yourself. ...

- Richard Nixon, August 8, 1974