The inspector general’s report confirms what Americans have always believed: The FBI is made up of straight shooters who let the chips fall where they may without fear or favor. Yes, they may occasionally miss their aim, as do we all. But as a group, an institution, and a culture, they are fiercely dedicated to professionalism and upholding the rule of law even under the most difficult conditions. Donald Trump might not like it. Hillary Clinton might not like it. But the FBI’s job isn’t to be liked; it’s to uphold the rule of law. And, according to the inspector general, that’s exactly what the FBI did.
Did the Founders fight a war, risking death, to be free from tyranny, only to vest President Trump — or any other president — with unlimited power? Whether the threat before us is an executive order or the recurring attacks on the Mueller investigation, conservatives must hold true to their principles, not political expediency. If we are to protect the rule of law, true conservatives must rise up now and say so.
The message itself is clear: Don’t push the Mueller investigation too far, because if it gets too uncomfortable or too close, President Trump is perfectly willing to provoke a constitutional crisis if he thinks it might help save his own skin.
Republicans for the Rule of Law is paying for an advertisement to appear Monday night before the Washington Capitals versus Las Vegas Golden Knights Stanley Cup game. In a statement from the special interest group, the reason for the ad is as follows:
It is vitality important that Republicans speak clearly and unequivocally against such assertions.
“President Trump tweeted this morning he has the absolute right to pardon himself, further illustrating the President and his lawyers believe that he is above the law,” a spokesman said in a statement Monday. “It is vitality important that Republicans speak clearly and unequivocally against such assertions. To that end, Republicans for the Rule of Law is airing our new ad — No One is Above the Law — tonight in Washington, D.C. right before the Washington Capitals-Las Vegas Golden Knights Stanley Cup Game.”
Republicans for the Rule of Law is airing an ad titled “No One is Above the Law” tonight in the Washington, D.C., TV market before the Washington Capitals Stanley Cup Finals Game 3. The latest bit of motivation for the spot: President Trump tweeted this morning he has the absolute right to pardon himself, further illustrating that the president and his lawyers believe he is above the law.
Republicans for the Rule of Law has faith that when pushed to confront Trump’s attacks on the rule of law, at least some incumbents and candidates will separate themselves from the president. We surely hope the group is right. However, Democratic candidates on the ballot in November would be wise to flip the script and make Republican opponents defend Trump’s actions. That may make for some uncomfortable campaign encounters and debates.
“The goal is to give support in as many different forums as possible and keep the pressure going about the need for the investigation to wrap up in the appropriate form,” said Kate Bradshaw, Utah organizer for the Republicans for the Rule of Law group and a GOP state delegate. “Whether they find something or they find nothing, it needs to run its proper prosecutorial course.”
I submit to my colleagues that if we have no truth and we have no justice, then we have no nation of laws. No public official, no president, no man or no woman is important enough to sacrifice the founding principles of our legal system.
As stated by Republican Sarah Longwell in The Hill: “Firing Mueller, Rosenstein or Sessions would be a fundamental blow to the rule of law … It would resemble what happens in developing countries that lack checks and balances on executive power.” of the whole Russia thing.”
— Republicans for the Rule of Law is airing two commercials in the Miami media market during Fox and Friends on Thursday and Friday. As the RNC meets in Miami for the rest of this week, they are airing their Mueller ad and their Reagan ad.
A Republican group that wants special counsel Robert Mueller to finish his investigation into connections between Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and the Russian government unimpeded his hitting the airwaves in Miami on Thursday and Friday as the Republican Party gathers at Trump’s golf resort in Doral.
A group of prominent members of the GOP called Republicans for the Rule of Law this week released a video that is a compilation of clips in which top Republican leaders like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Vice President Mike Pence praise Rosenstein for his integrity and impartiality.
To uphold the rule of law, it is crucial the special counsel continue his work free from political interference. We commend the Judiciary Committee, under the leadership of Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), for reporting out this bipartisan legislation with the support of four Republican senators.
A newly formed Republican group aired ads in North Carolina, South Carolina, Iowa and Kentucky this week encouraging Republicans to support the legislation. Republicans For the Rule of Law called the committee’s vote “an important step toward protecting the probity of Robert Mueller’s investigation. To uphold the rule of law, it is crucial the special counsel continue his work free from political interference.”
“It’s Trump supporters who should be leading the charge to protect the president from doing something that would imperil his presidency,” said Sarah Longwell, the chairwoman of the Log Cabin Republicans and a member of the board of directors of Republicans for the Rule of Law.
If there is any silver lining to this dark cloud hanging over our democracy, it is that Trump’s outrageous behavior is provoking opposition from a growing number of good-government groups. Both the center-left and center-right are mobilizing and — best of all — they are cooperating, because they realize that their policy differences fade into insignificance at a time when our core institutions and norms are under assault.
We should all let Trump know we are Americans, not loyal subjects. The Mueller investigation must run its course, and let the chips fall where they may.
NPR’s Morning Edition hosts Sarah Longwell to discuss Republicans for the Rule of Law
The new group Republicans for the Rule of Law is out with its second ad seeking to head off President Trump from firing either special counsel Robert S. Mueller III or Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein. Sarah Longwell, one of the group’s founders and a longtime Republican activist, wrote in an op-ed for The Hill.
While fired FBI Director James Comey makes his book rounds, Republicans are using Richard Nixon to divert Trump’s attention. In an ad set to air this morning on ‘Fox and Friends,’ ‘Morning Joe’ and ‘The Five,’ Republicans For the Rule of Law will try to convince the president that firing special prosecutor Robert Mueller would be a big mistake.
That the current state of affairs is deadly serious has, of course, been lent additional credence by the encouraging emergence in recent days of a rather remarkable new national group dedicated to the protection of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, called Republicans for the Rule of Law
To maintain the rule of law, protect the party, and even protect the president himself, Republicans must form a moat around Mueller to protect his investigation from presidential meddling.
But in our system, no man is above the law. It’s a tradition that goes back to the Magna Carta in 1215, which recognized that even the king was bound by law. Donald Trump is bound by the Constitution, which he swore an oath to protect and defend. If he were to try to stop a legitimate and necessary investigation into Russia’s meddling in the presidential election and whether anyone in his campaign aided or abetted it, he would undermine the rule of law. I doubt he cares — but he does care about his own survival. So he should know that firing Mueller would not save the Trump presidency but lead him to the inevitable ignominy of impeachment.
Any political interference with the Special Counsel’s investigation, including firing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, would be an affront to the rule of law and would ultimately hurt the President, hurt the Republican Party, and hurt the country,” said Republicans for the Rule of Law Director Sarah Longwell. “Now is a crucial moment for Republicans to follow the lead of Senators Thom Tillis, Lindsay Graham, Orrin Hatch, and Chuck Grassley, and speak with one voice urging President Trump to allow the investigation to continue unimpeded.
If President Donald Trump was tuning into his favorite morning news shows Wednesday, he may have noticed a peculiarly placed advertisement. Republicans for the Rule of Law — an initiative spearheaded by a cadre of GOP politicos and conservative commentators — kicked off its campaign to defend special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation into Russia’s 2016 election meddling and its alleged ties to Trump’s campaign with a television ad that aired on “Fox and Friends” and MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
A Republican group defended special counsel Robert Mueller against attacks by President Trump in an ad that aired Wednesday morning during “Fox & Friends” – a show that Trump is said to frequently watch. The 30-second ad from Republicans for the Rule of Law highlights Mueller’s military service in Vietnam and his service as head of the FBI during the Bush administration.
Mona Charen, conservative author and one of the directors of the new group Republicans for the Rule of Law, puts it this way: “Thus far, Trump’s assault on republican virtues has been largely rhetorical. That is corrosive and dangerous on its own. But any move to shut down a lawful investigation moves into strongman territory, and threatens the bedrock of America’s constitutional order — the rule of law.”
A new ad aired Wednesday for an audience of one – and seeking to protect special counsel Robert Mueller. Republicans for the Rule of Law — a group bent on keeping the Mueller probe alive — bought a 30-second spot on Fox & Friends for Wednesday morning that blared praise for the special counsel across screens in the Washington, D.C., area.
Their timing could not be better. A day after reports surfaced that President Trump wanted to fire special counsel Robert S. Mueller III in December (in addition to an earlier effort in June), five veteran Republicans have formed a new organization, Republicans for the Rule of Law, seeking to restrain the president from doing exactly that.