The United States mingles politics and prosecution in a way that has become much more dangerous under President Trump.
Behind the scandal that this president has appointed an under-qualified crony as acting attorney general
- is the larger problem that a president can.
President Trump has installed a scandal-tainted under-qualified loyalist as acting attorney general,
with rumors that a Trump-loyal elected politician like Chris Christie or Kris Kobach or Pam Bondi may ultimately be nominated to fill the Senate-confirmed office.
Britain and Germany entrust prosecutions to a career official, a director of Public Prosecutions.
Many other advanced democracies follow their example. Not the United States.
The 93 US attorneys who lead federal prosecutions are politically appointed.
They report to the assistant attorney general for the criminal division, also a political appointment,
who is in turn overseen by a politically appointed attorney general and deputy attorney general.
Legal experts have long worried about the potential for abuse in these arrangements.
But most Americans have long taken for granted the mingling of politics and prosecution, trusting the system and hoping for the best.
Until now.
Trump is reportedly entangled in multiple criminal inquiries.
Trump has loudly and repeatedly insisted that he wants an attorney general who will act as his personal lawyer, defending his own personal interests.
“My own Roy Cohn,” as he calls him.
Now Trump is moving to find one.
Trump seeks impunity for himself and his family.
Americans should fear that his plan for survival threatens the rule of law in the United States.
The Trump years have cast a hard light on many of the ancient flaws in American democracy.
Flaws left unredressed because not enough of us worried about them.
We should worry now about how to ensure once and for all, that politics and prosecution are never again mixed.
