Yes, this is bad
Trump has launched the political equivalent of a Blitzkrieg, hoping to roll over the federal government like Hitler rolled over Poland.
A week or so ago, I wrote a piece titled “Don’t swing at everything.” Today, there’s a lot to swing at. Trump is moving quickly to politicize the Justice Department and FBI. Elon Musk is trying to steal confidential information about most Americans. The moves have all the hallmarks of a regime preparing to crush dissent.
On Friday, the interim District of Columbia U.S. Attorney fired 30 federal prosecutors who worked in the January 6 probe. He’s making moves to begin political investigations of Members of Congress and others who investigated the assault on the Capitol. Failing to hold Trump and his minions accountable is going to lead to vengeance against those who tried to do so.
After Trump’s nominee for Director of the FBI spent the day in Congress lying about his record, Trump moved to fire agents involved in the investigations of his January 6 actions and stashing classified documents in a bathroom at Mar-a-Lago. Kash Patel told Congress that there would be no retaliatory firings at the FBI just hours before the story broke about the mass firings. According to The Atlantic, “There is no precedent for the mass termination of FBI personnel in this fashion.”
Over at Treasury, Elon Musk has demanded the personal information of everyone who receives payments electronically from the government. As the New York Times notes, “Access to the system has historically been closely held because it includes sensitive personal information about the millions of Americans who receive Social Security checks, tax refunds and other payments from the federal government.” Musk claims to be rooting out fraud, but he is not a government employee. He’s a guy who makes money off of other people’s data.
Trump has also moved to take control of government spending, a clear violation of the Constitution. He tried to order a freeze on most government spending, but was blocked by the courts. He’s also trying to shut down U.S.A.I.D., the federal agency that offers humanitarian assistance to foreign countries.
While the executive branch administers agencies, Congress sets spending. In a healthy democracy, Members of Congress, regardless of party, would be pushing back at a chief executive trying to usurp their authority. In 2024 America, Republicans are rolling over, giving Trump unprecedented power over the federal government. The checks and balances so crucial to our system are crumbling.
Not long ago, conservatives were people who told us government was getting too powerful. Today, they are people cheering Elon Musk as he pilfers their most private information. They should no longer be suspicious that their government is spying on them. They should now be confident of it. Federal law enforcement is being reshaped to protect the president and his lackeys instead of the Constitution.
Trump and Musk learned lessons from his first term and the Biden years. After being acquitted in two impeachments, Trump knows that Republicans will never hold him accountable. After a slow, methodical, and meandering investigation into his January 6 activities and mishandling documents, he learned that speed matters. For all of their whining about the politicization of the justice department, the process allowed them to get away without any consequences because it dragged on too long.
In response, Trump has unleashed the political equivalent of a Blitzkrieg. He’s rolling over the federal government like Hitler rolled over Poland. The Republicans in Congress who could check his unconstitutional power grabs are standing down, hoping for a portion of the spoils. They’ve reached a political version of the Molotov-Von Ribbontrop Pact, naively believing they can trust an administration hellbent on power and backed by tech billionaires.
The resistance will need to start inside of government this time. Protests won’t give Trump pause. Federal employees with loyalty to the Constitution instead of the President might gum up the works. As J.V. Last at the Bulwark says, “Please don’t resign.” Be prepared to support people who stand up for what’s right and against tyranny. This fight is only beginning.
It seems clear that Trump is making irrational and reckless changes in the Federal government, driven by a desire for vengeance over perceived wrongs. Despite being found guilty of thirty-four acts of fraud and deceit by a jury, he does not view his past actions as criminal. By pardoning sixteen hundred individuals who commit acts of violence and vandalism, he signals to his followers that they will be shielded from the law if they re offend in his name.
Introducing excessively high tariffs on foreign trade partners like Canada and Mexico might seem like a move to promote US-based enterprises, but it does not. Soon, we will see the impact on the cost of living, employment, and foreign relations. When his ardent supporters lose their jobs and struggle to afford higher prices for food and fuel, they may finally realize that Trump does not have their best interests at heart. Only then will they understand.
Thank you Mitch McConnell.