You don’t want to ignore this headline — President Trump has entered uncharted territory when he instructed Lindsey Halligan his attorney to prosecute James Comey. On Sept. 25 Comey was indicted. You may have mixed feelings about James Comey because he reopened the FBI’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server just days before the 2016 election. Try not to let that get in the way of viewing what is happening to him now.
Although Halligan was advised by her peers — all career prosecutors — not to prosecute, she obediently followed Trump’s orders to focus on the “enemy within.” The notion of domestic terrorism is enormously broad and includes anything that can be termed anti-American.
Consider this direct quote from the White House: “Common threads animating this violent conduct include anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christianity; support for the overthrow of the United States government; extremism on migration, race, and gender; and hostility towards those who hold traditional American views on family, religion, and morality.”
This is too broad a mandate and will lead to massive intimidation and prosecution. Remember that Trump has at his disposal the vast resources of the FBI and the Department of Justice which will give him over-reaching power. Although James Comey will counter-sue and will win, the mere act of being investigated can turn one’s life inside out. Remember what being blacklisted meant in the McCarthy days.
Lillian Cartwright
Easthampton