Calvary and white horses

Congress has abdicated its Constitutional checks and balances in investigating the nasty guy, including around the mess with Russia. This is not yet an issue for the various courts, the third branch of our government system. Which leaves… who?

The who is a special counsel working through the FBI (I think) and supported by the general intelligence community. Hooray! At least someone is doing it! Here comes the Calvary to save us!

But Melissa McEwan of Shakesville and others are growing alarmed. This Calvary may not be riding white horses. They don’t necessarily have the nation’s best interests in mind. Some of the reasons for their alarm:

* The intelligence community (IC) has been on the receiving end of the nasty guy’s ire. Which means the IC is trying to even the score by being all the more determined to pursue allegations against the nasty guy. This is coming out as dueling coups – the IC trying to bring down the nasty guy while he is trying to dismantle them (or at least their ability to investigate him) and replace them with loyalists. Which will happen first?

* Michael Glennon of Harpers notes that the Constitution says the Congress is to provide a check on the prez., not a bureaucracy devoted to security. Who controls this bureaucracy? Do we want to set that precedent? Security forces, with strengthened powers, don’t have a good track record: FBI blackmailing civil rights leaders, NSA watch lists, CIA waterboarding. Those good at repression would not keep us from repression. And security is the excuse for everything they do.

* Are we seeing an effort to oust the nasty guy, or are we seeing the IC only trying to keep the nasty guy from being hostile to them? Are they simply fighting for power and influence? If the nasty guy manages a truce might he then turn the security forces to his bidding, might they be turned against us?

Think of it another way: If the nasty guy is ousted and the vice nasty guy ascends he will be very good a cosying up to the IC with ways to use them against democracy.

Yeah, I’m glad someone is researching the nasty guy. But they may not be doing it for us.