Monday, June 05, 2017

Yep

Angelo Codevilla, summing up the current state of affairs in Washington:
The deepening levels of corruption in our legal system and our politics may be seen in what appears to be the disregard that the media, the legal system, the Trump administration itself, and the Special Counsel’s charge are showing for the one and only violation of law that has occurred: namely, the revelations of communications intelligence operations as well as of results therefrom, by unnamed but authoritative intelligence officials, to such as the Times’ Michael Schmidt and the Post’s Adam Entous.

Since the number of those who possessed the information in question is small, ascertaining the identity of those who divulged it poses no problem to serious investigators. Since Messers Schmidt and Entous could not help but know that communications intelligence is protected by a strict liability statute, they could also be held responsible for their participation in the crime.

Instead, we have a ruling class, led by the Democratic Party, that is trying to reverse the effects of an election that repudiated it by alleging a conspiracy―evidence for which is limited to the allegation itself. We have a Republican Party and President so frightened of their political enemies that they play along, in the forlorn hope of being granted legitimacy. Hence, both sides play at politics and law. But contending on the basis of insubstantial allegations while tolerating flagrant crime kills respect for law. It augurs a future in which the only punishable crime will be to stand with the less bloody-minded side.
A lot more at the link. A depressing but necessary read.

3 comments:

W.B. Picklesworth said...

If Codevilla is right, that leakers will not be held to account, I will be pretty angry. I can handle the idea of non-representative government / rule by elites, but rule via such petty and slimy means is intolerable. That's more like rule by weasels.

Bike Bubba said...

Codevilla is probably correct that the vast majority of leakers will not be held to account. We've created a playground for scumbags and are wondering now why they're playing "smear the [redacted]", really.

Now the question is whether Trump is simply accepting this, or whether he's realizing that he's got to have the goods on a few of these guys before he smushes them? I am hoping that he catches someone when they slip up and does exactly that.

Gino said...

The previous administration has done a lot of snooping, Hoover level, is looking like. The can destroy anybody, and will.