What Still Stands Against the Big Lie?

For those opting out of the Trumpster’s State of the Union Address this evening, I have a suggestion for an interesting read written by Benjamin Wittes at Lawfare. Wittes is the Papa of the Baby Cannon meme, the Tick-Tock and Boom series on twitter during last year’s on-going Mueller updates. He’s pretty much put that away from what I can tell. Sadly, Sean Hannity took over a similar tick-tock formula, not nearly as entertaining.

In any case, Wittes has written a number of thoughtful pieces and the link below will link an essay from yesterday. The piece is particularly pertinent as the country awaits the next round of spectacular boasts and chest-beating from the Emperor Who Proudly Wears No Clothes.

Wittes manages to tie together the craziness of yesterday’s news cycle and remind us of the Big Lie philosophy, how Big Lie politics have a wretched, destructive history. In today’s context, the Trumpsters are attempting—and on some levels succeeding—to cast the US Justice Department and our own law enforcement and intelligence agencies as Enemies of the State while giving Russia, Vladimir Putin and his merry band of criminal oligarchs a pass. The Trumpster has spent a year discrediting and demeaning the press, journalists, anything and anyone not willing to genuflect and kiss his ring.

It’s what an Emperor expects, clothes or not.

The term Fake News is now a well-known catch-all phrase. Here and around the world. So I’m sure The Donald figures what worked in one arena will surely work in another.

Wittes focuses on Rod Rosenstein who Wittes has criticized in the past, made clear is an imperfect vessel (aren’t we all) but is at the momentThe Man standing between us and the next upheaval. The next disruption could be a direct, unapologetic attack on our independent law and justice departments. American presidents neither control nor are they permitted to use American institutions for their personal gain or political vendettas. That’s the stuff of Banana Republics or the realm of autocrats and demagogues throughout history.

The poignant question rests in the title and in Wittes’ text::

What Still Stands Against the Big Lie?

For the purposes of a conclusion, I’ll edit this to: Who or What Still Stands Against the Big Lie?

At the moment the what = the Rule of Law, the who = Rod Rosenstein. Regardless of how things shake out, The Rule of Law will always be the guiding principle. However, the who could easily change—fired, dismissed, forced from office, stumble from one public official to another. And if that happens, then the who = Us.


https://www.lawfareblog.com/big-lies-law-enforcement