U.S. may be facing a Constitutional Crisis soon

By Robert A. Vella

Image from:  The News In Cartoons

In the wake of yesterday’s firing of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe by the Trump Administration, the U.S. is moving inexorably towards a pivotal constitutional crisis not seen since the Watergate scandal.  Back then, Republicans were slowly forced into making a choice they did not want to make.  They could either loyally stand by their apparently criminal president, or they could uphold the law by performing their constitutional obligations.  The latter choice, of course, meant the demise of Richard Nixon.  Fortunately, for the American republic and democracy, they did the right thing.

McCabe’s abrupt termination came just two days before he would fully qualify for his pension.  The firing, performed by Attorney General Jeff Sessions almost assuredly at Trump’s behest, was obviously an act of retribution for McCabe’s refusal to acquiesce to Trump’s political interests in two investigations – one into Hillary Clinton, and one into Trump’s firing of then FBI Director James Comey.

With Sessions bending to the pressure from Trump, the central and pivotal target now is Special Counsel Robert Mueller whose criminal investigation into Russian meddling of the 2016 presidential election is openly defying Trump by looking into his business dealings with Russia.  If Mueller is axed, Republicans will be faced with the same dilemma as during Watergate.  If they don’t find the will or the courage to do the right thing again, America and the world could be in very serious trouble.