Trump Disgorges More Contempt for the Rule of Law — and the Media Continues to Fail Us

Another day; another gross display of contempt for the rule of law from the President of the United States. pic.twitter.com/RhhLpoLyzP

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) March 21, 2018

If you can't view the embedded screencapped tweets authored by Donald Trump, they read: (1) "'Special Council is told to find crimes, whether a crime exists or not. I was opposed to the selection of Mueller to be Special Council. I am still opposed to it. I think President Trump was right when he said there never should have been a Special Council appointed because..... (2) ...there was no probable cause for believing that there was any crime, collusion or otherwise, or obstruction of justice!' So stated by Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz."

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This is the President of the United States, who is under investigation for collusion with a foreign adversary, showing undiluted contempt for the rule of law and suggesting that he is, in fact, above the law. These are the words of an unapologetic authoritarian.

And yet, it will not be covered that way. It will be reported by the political press as Trump "going on the offense against Mueller" or "taking on Mueller" or some variation thereof, as if he isn't the president and this is all happening in a vacuum where the power differential between a president and literally everyone else in the country, including a special counsel, doesn't matter; as if Trump isn't under investigation for trying to obstruct this very investigation; as if the very future of our democracy isn't at stake, specifically because Trump has repeatedly indicating he's willing to cause a Constitutional crisis if he's cornered; as if it isn't manifestly apparent by now, as it has always been, that Trump cares about himself more than he cares about the entire nation.

Meanwhile, here is CNN anchor Jake Tapper responding to Trump calling Vladimir Putin to congratulate him on his victory by engaging in some breathtakingly mendacious bothsiderism:

Flashback: “Obama congratulates Putin for election ‘win’” by @joshrogin

https://t.co/LHnZO0hDVv

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) March 21, 2018

Did Obama make this call the week after Putin ordered a spy killed within the borders of our closest ally? After Putin helped deliver an election to him? While under investigation for possibly colluding with Putin?

No? Then it's a profoundly mendacious comparison. https://t.co/XFnCgt9wes

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) March 21, 2018

We can have a good faith debate about whether Obama should have made that call. But, either way, it's not the same thing by a country mile.

And pretending that it is the same, even remotely, is to normalize Trump's presidency and thus to abet his authoritarianism. On a day, like every day, in which he endeavors to undermine our laws, norms, and very democracy.