#prosecutorial-independence

#prosecutorial-independence

Near the end of his opinion in Trump v. United States, Chief Justice John Roberts chastises the dissenting justices for "ignoring the Constitution's separation of powers" and "fear mongering on the basis of extreme hypotheticals" that imagine a future ruled by a lawbreaking president. He might as well have called them hysterical. Among their fears: a world where the commander-in-chief orders the armed forces to assassinate a political opponent or critic,

FBI Director James B. Comey, left, and NYPD Commissioner William Bratton talk about terrorism during a news conference at police headquarters in Manhattan on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. Photo Credit: John Roca The New York City Bar Association issued a stark repudiation of the U.S. Justice Department indictment of former FBI Director James Comey last week in a statement warning the prosecution is flouting the rule of law. The indictment of former FBI Director James Comey is the latestand most troublingaction by a Justice Department increasingly wielded as the personal instrument of the President of the United States, the bar association wrote in a public statement issued September 29.

Donald Trump's public and private push to have ex-FBI director James Comey indicted on criminal charges is a strong sign of the US slipping into authoritarianism, but it could also taint the case's chances of success because it is evidence of a selective and biased political prosecution, ex-prosecutors and scholars say. Trump's retribution drive against an old foe he blames for legal and political problems notched a big win when Comey was indicted last week on two criminal counts in Virginia.

ABC, which was the first to report on the firing, confirms that Seibert received notice that Trump wanted to fire him on Thursday, which presumably is how both ABC and NBC reported he was expected to be fired in advance of that happening. Siebert was notified of the president's intention to fire him Thursday, sources said, and Trump said Friday afternoon in the Oval Office that he wanted Siebert "out" of his position.