Originally I had planned a text about Joe Biden’s winning streak. It was before the FBI’s historic visit to Mar-a-Lago.
For history buffs, the reference to the arsenal of democracy in the title may be reminiscent of a radio address by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In 1940, FDR borrowed the phrase to emphasize the important contribution of the American industrial machine to the Allied war effort.
In 1940, Roosevelt also warned his fellow citizens of the danger posed by fascism.
The internal threat
I pondered this formula when I learned that the FBI had made a major seizure at Donald Trump’s home. Why? Because we must continue to protect American democracy, but this time the threat is from within.
The 45th President left the White House “accidentally” bringing about fifteen boxes of documents about his administration, some classified as defense secrets. Under the Presidential Records Act of 1978, he acted entirely illegally.
However, the 1978 law has some gray areas and it’s hard to imagine that Trump could be sanctioned for this offense alone. In this matter, as in so many others, the 45th President is not the first to stir up controversy. The Reagans, Clintons and Bush Jr. have all more or less circumvented the law.
What distinguishes the Trump administration is that it not only played with the law, but deliberately flouted it after warnings. Aside from that other display of contempt, the context of the error is non-trivial.
Trump is the first president to incite an insurrection. The House of Representatives and the Justice Department are investigating him and his family. Let’s not forget the other investigations and trials involving the former reality star.
Are we ashamed?
The reaction of the majority of elected Republicans after the seizure is shocking. We went well beyond the usual partisan support. A judge’s approval was ignored and we still know very little about the reasons. Kevin McCarthy even threatened the Attorney General!
When a judge supports such an approach, it’s usually because we believe a crime has been committed. Before we howl conspiracy or conjure up the deep state, let’s remember that the Trump administration, gleefully digging out the swamp, has produced a sizable body of thugs, whose latest convict is the sinister Alex Jones, the king of disinformation .
Fortunately, the rule of law still seems able to do its job. Not only have six of Trump’s relatives ended up behind bars, Alex Jones just got cornered.
Now let’s hope we let the courts and the FBI, the same agency that investigated Hillary Clinton’s emails during the campaign, do their job until the end. They are important parts of this new arsenal of democracy.
