It might seem like ancient history, but nine years ago, Donald Trump saw James Comey as a political ally. In fact, in January 2017, just two days into his first term, the president appeared to literally blow a kiss at the then-FBI director at a White House event, thanks in part to Comey’s role in undermining Hillary Clinton’s 2016 candidacy.
The affection did not endure. Days later, Trump told Comey he expected “loyalty,” and after Comey instead did his job, the president fired him in the hopes of derailing the FBI’s investigation into the Russia scandal.
When Comey, a lifelong Republican, went public with his concerns and criticisms about Trump, the president came to see the ousted FBI chief as one of his most important enemies, and in April 2018, he started demanding that Comey be prosecuted for crimes that Trump struggled to identify.
It took several years, but the president is seeing the results he’s long sought.
Months after Trump’s Justice Department brought absurd criminal charges against the former FBI director, in a case that ultimately collapsed, prosecutors secured a second indictment against Comey this week, claiming that he used Instagram to call for violence against Trump by way of a seashell-related code.
Though the case is rooted in an indictment against Comey, it’s actually more of an indictment of a weaponized DOJ. Legal experts are reportedly “shellshocked” over the how preposterous the case is, and for good reason: No fair-minded observer could defend or take seriously such spurious charges.
What’s more, the idea that prosecutors might eventually secure a conviction in this case is ludicrous on its face, though that’s almost certainly the point of this corrupt exercise. In her latest column, Barbara McQuade, a former Michigan U.S. attorney and an MS NOW legal analyst, explained:
Even if the Justice Department cannot convict Comey, prosecutors can make his life miserable for several months by forcing him to pay for a lawyer, occupy his time and attention, emotionally exhaust his family and disparage his reputation.
To be sure, I don’t doubt that the president and those who are doing his bidding would be delighted to see Comey found guilty, but given how pitiful the case is, that’s unrealistic.
There’s no reason to assume, however, that a conviction is Trump’s intended endpoint. On the contrary, given the broader context, the new indictment checks a different set of boxes for the Republican president.
First, Trump appears eager to make it clear that he can orchestrate federal prosecutions based entirely on his whims and petty desires, without regard for merit or evidence. There is, for all intents and purposes, a White House enemies list, and the president seems eager to intimidate and instill fear on those whose names appear on it.
Second, Trump is sending an unsubtle signal to other federal prosecutors who might be inclined to prioritize the rule of law over the White House’s wishes. Indeed, when it comes to the pursuit of the former FBI director, prosecutors who chose not to bring charges against Comey were replaced with those who would follow political instructions. As a second set of charges moves forward, the message to other prosecutors couldn’t be clearer: Play along with the revenge campaign, or face unemployment.
And third, the Comey conviction allows the president to effectively argue that he can force his perceived enemies to endure legal, personal and financial hardships as a direct consequence of their defiance of him, even if the indictments are a joke, and even if the defendants are ultimately acquitted.
Trying to convict the former FBI director is largely irrelevant. The corruption is the point.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.
The post The case against Comey will almost certainly fail. For Trump, that’s not the point. appeared first on MS NOW.
