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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCongress must be a check on Trump to avoid a Constitutional crisis - 538
The term constitutional crisis is a slippery and overused one. Quite often, the Constitution offers us a roadmap for addressing transgressions. The Civil War was a true constitutional crisis because there was substantial disagreement over a basic aspect of the national compact (Could states leave?) and the two disagreeing sides were each well-armed and convinced of their rectitude. But to call a presidential abuse of power a crisis of the constitutional system is like calling a bank robbery a crisis of the financial system. Its not. There are ways to address it.
The problem comes when the relevant actors simply wont perform their constitutional duties because of other considerations. Trump has violated all manner of norms in the early months of his presidency he hasnt divested from his business interests, his daughter has a West Wing office, her husband represents the nation abroad, he falsely accuses his predecessor of crimes, he conducts foreign policy outdoors at a restaurant and using unsecured phones, etc. and those violations have largely gone unaddressed by one of the two branches of government in charge of regulating him. (The judicial branch, of course, has been a consistent thorn in Trumps side.) But we face new norm violations today, including the presidents threatening the former FBI director over Twitter.
If Congress continues its investigation into Russian interference in the election and assures that the FBI does the same, then the Constitutions checks and balances could end up working. (That investigation could, of course, lead to another kind of crisis, depending on what it concluded.) But if Trump continues to interfere in the FBIs activity, and Congress doesnt step up its own investigation, we could end up in a true constitutional crisis.
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https://www.google.com/amp/s/fivethirtyeight.com/features/congress-must-be-a-check-on-trump-to-avoid-a-constitutional-crisis/amp/
Keep calling your congress persons, keep the pressure on.
There is too much at stake not to.
onecaliberal
(32,861 posts)JHB
(37,160 posts)onecaliberal
(32,861 posts)I sad we're IN a constitutional crisis.
orangecrush
(19,556 posts)In us to stop.
45 gives me motivation daily.
orangecrush
(19,556 posts)spanone
(135,837 posts)or 16 years.
orangecrush
(19,556 posts)Was Watergate.