To the editor:
President Trump blatantly intervened in the Justice Department’s initial sentencing recommendation for convicted felon and former Trump advisor Roger Stone. (“Did the Justice Department cave to Trump in the Roger Stone case? We need to know,” editorial, Feb. 12)
The Department of Justice is supposed to be above politics and administer “equal justice under law.” By publicly stating that the recommendation for between seven and nine years in prison in the 26-page sentencing memo was “horrible and very unfair,” Trump has taken another step toward destroying our democracy.
As the book “On Tyranny” by Yale historian Timothy Snyder demonstrates, democracies don’t die all at once. They die slowly. Among his lessons is for the people to defend their institutions—in this case, surely we must defend an independent judiciary. Snyder also warns us to listen for dangerous words. Trump definitely smears and uses violent language, including “lock her up” and “punch him in the face.”
There is no time to lose. As his corruption of the Justice Department shows, Trump is a dangerous threat to our entire democratic way of life.
Michael B. Natelson, Newport Beach
Note from KBJ: The Department of Justice is not "above politics," Michael. It has been thoroughly politicized (by Barack Obama, among others) against conservatives. President Trump is cleaning house. Get used to five more years of it. When the Trump presidency is over, in late January 2025, the Department of Justice will be, at long last, above politics.
