Trump casually suggested that America toss the Constitution in the trash on Thursday morning as he urged the Senate to investigate the free press instead of his campaign and presidency.
The President tweeted:
Why Isn't the Senate Intel Committee looking into the Fake News Networks in OUR country to see why so much of our news is just made up-FAKE!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 5, 2017
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The level of disrespect for the Bill of Rights that Trump showed is his natural impulse is striking. It is not the job of the Senate Intelligence Committee to investigate the media. The job of the committee is to conduct oversight and when necessary investigate the Executive Branch of the federal government. It is part of the checks and balances system of our governmental system.
Checks and balances get to the heart of what Trump was attacking. He doesn’t believe that there should be any checks on his presidency, and the balance of power should rest with him.
This president has also displayed the authoritarian belief that Congress should be used as his personal weapon. Trump believes that the Legislative Branch exists to give him bills to sign and destroy his enemies.
The emotional impulse at the heart of this tweet is that the President thinks that the Senate Intel Committee should be protecting him from the press reporting the facts about his administration and the Russia scandal.
Trump just spit on the Constitution and his dangerous impulse to disregard freedoms and our governmental system should not be ignored.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
