Earlier today, critics of President Donald Trump predicted a constitutional crisis over his tweet demanding the Department of Justice “look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes”:
The Department of Justice must refuse to comply with this untenable, politically-motivated “demand” from @realdonaldtrump or risk plunging this country into a constitutional crisis. https://t.co/HiPFCrD4UJ
— (((Rep. Nadler))) (@RepJerryNadler) May 20, 2018
Just watching my son’s soccer game and wondering if we’re heading into a Constitutional crisis. Normal Trump era weekend afternoon, in other words https://t.co/zkVrGgMVFD
— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) May 20, 2018
A presidential order to investigate the FBI’s secret source, which forces a showdown with DOJ. If DOJ does not comply order, things could get very, very messy. https://t.co/hVtdnkV8sv
— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) May 20, 2018
This is not the action of an idiot or a madman. It is an intentional attempt to subvert the rule of law. I bet @realDonaldTrump knows something big is coming. https://t.co/L0mtxOS8jX
— Paul Begala (@PaulBegala) May 20, 2018
Benjamin Wittes, a good friend of James Comey, even tweeted that the “deputy attorney general nor the FBI director can in good conscience comply with such an order”:
There is also no doubt in my mind that neither the attorney general (who is recused anyway) nor the deputy attorney general nor the FBI director can in good conscience comply with such an order. And I don’t believe they will. /4/
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) May 20, 2018
This is a nakedly corrupt attempt on the part of the President to derail an investigation of himself at the expense of a human source to whose protection the FBI and DOJ are committed.
See @qjurecic and my piece on this from yesterday. /5/ https://t.co/TsMMdPGp9g
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) May 20, 2018
Oh really?
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein just ordered the DOJ Inspector General’s office to look into the matter:
The Deputy Attorney General issued the following statement tonight: “If anyone did infiltrate or surveil participants in a presidential campaign for inappropriate purposes, we need to know about it and take appropriate action.”
— Robert Costa (@costareports) May 20, 2018
So, what happened to the constitutional crisis?
Please explain to me why this is surrender to naked corruption, @benjaminwittes–it strikes me you can only argue this by presuming prima facie there's nothing to the claim https://t.co/EUuoqLrDhb
— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) May 20, 2018
Spoiler: It’s not.
So Rosenstein has asked the DOJ IG to look into the possibility of improper surveillance of the Trump campaign. Please, again, someone tell me why that is illegitimate.
— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) May 20, 2018
Full statement here:
DOJ response to POTUS call to investigate DOJ/FBI pic.twitter.com/xTlDq9jzQY
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) May 20, 2018
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Related:
'This is the moment': Trump has Giuliani front and center as he prepares for showdown with DOJ https://t.co/x3sH2mSuW1
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) May 20, 2018
'I hereby demand': Trump signals that he's going after Obama admin surveillance of his campaign https://t.co/LslZLYNtS1
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) May 20, 2018
