A month before the 2016 election, Trump told Clinton he’d push the Justice Department to pursue her. Evidently, he was serious.
About a month before the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump turned to Hillary Clinton and said, “I didn’t think I’d say this, but I’m going to say it, and I hate to say it, but if I win, I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation.”
It was, at face value, an absurd declaration. The Republican candidate, unfamiliar with how the American system of justice operates, seemed clueless to the fact that presidents can’t “instruct” federal law enforcement to target their domestic political enemies. Trump, however, didn’t much care.
This reporting, which hasn’t been independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News, is extremely easy to believe. Trump has repeatedly – and in several instances, publicly – argued that federal law enforcement should serve as an extension of the White House’s political agenda.
If Trump did plan to instruct the Justice Department to target his perceived enemies, it would be an outrageous abuse, but it wouldn’t necessarily be surprising. Outrageous abuses involving federal law enforcement are a staple of this president’s political diet.
But it’s important not to stop reading the New York Times ’ article after the first few paragraphs. The piece went on to report:
Oh? What’s that? Trump didn’t just want to direct the Justice Department to pursue Comey, the president’s lawyers took the additional step of asking for an investigation? And federal law enforcement refused?
Well, that seems like a rather important piece of information.
What’s more, it’s probably best not to assume the ordeal is limited to the past. The Times ’ report went on to note that the president “has continued to privately discuss the matter, including the possible appointment of a second special counsel to investigate both Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Comey, according to two people who have spoken to Mr. Trump about the issue.” He’s also reportedly expressed his disappointment with FBI Director Christopher Wray for not pursuing the White House’s political opponents.
This suggests Trump’s authoritarian instincts weren’t just a problem in the recent past, but rather, remain an ongoing point of concern.
