Shaub: Trump Urging DoJ To Go After Hillary Is ‘Stuff that Authoritarianism Is Made Of’

RUSH EXCERPT:

BOLDUAN: "He says he’s sad that he can’t get involved. Him saying that, isn’t that inherently getting involved?"
TOOBIN: "Well of course it is. Remember why these norms exist. You know, Richard Nixon tried to use the Justice Department to punish his political enemies, use the internal revenue service to punish his political enemies and there are established rules that law enforcement is something that the president does not get involved in on individual cases. Especially when it involves his political opponents. Because this is the kind of country we are where the president doesn’t get to put his political opponents in prison. But if you listen to what the president said yesterday and what he wrote, what he’s saying is he’s frustrated that the Justice Department is not putting the women, the woman he ran gens for president in prison. That’s the kind of thing that happens in authoritarian countries, not the United States. I know we sort of get overloaded with like oh, trump said this, trump said another thing, he tweeted this. This is something so far outside the mainstream of American law and politics, it’s really remarkable."
BOLDUAN: "And very much not the first time he’s questioned the judicial system. And Walter, you were in charge of the office of government ethics. The president is calling on the Justice Department to go after his political enemies. From your perspective, should this raise red flags?"
SHAUB: "Well, Jeffrey’s right. This is the stuff that authoritarianism is made of. It’s just terrifying. It’s the scariest thing that I’ve seen happen so far in this administration. He just simply seems to have no appreciation for or interest in the importance of the Independence of the department of justice. And it’s just been a consistent assault on our justice system from him calling it a laughing stock to him attacking judges, to him firing the head of the FBI. Implying he might be willing to fire the head of department of justice. You’re not supposed to use the apparatus of the state to go after your political rivals."