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Tuesday, September 14, 2021 8:03:22 PM
Chronicling Trump's 10 worst abuses of power
Analysis by Marshall Cohen
Illustrations by Alberto Mier
Updated 7:55 AM ET, Sun January 24, 2021
Washington (CNN)Former President Donald Trump flouted the limits of presidential power unlike any of his recent predecessors, leaving behind a legacy of unmatched abuses that range from violations of longstanding norms to potentially criminal behavior.
It was hard to keep track amid the daily deluge of controversial tweets and distractions that were a hallmark of the Trump presidency. And some of the most egregious abuses of power weren't clear at the time but came into focus after exhaustive investigations.
To chronicle Trump's most consequential abuses of power, CNN spoke with a politically diverse group of constitutional scholars, presidential historians and experts on democratic institutions.
While these 16 experts did not agree on everything, there was consensus that Trump's pattern of abusing his powers for personal or political gain reached an alarming level that hasn't been seen in modern history, and will have long-lasting consequences for the future of American democracy.
Here is a breakdown of Trump's 10 most significant abuses of power.
#1: Subverting the 2020 election
There is broad agreement among experts that Trump's most severe abuse of power was his relentless effort to undermine the 2020 election and overturn the legitimate results.
Michael Paulsen, a conservative legal scholar and professor at the University of St. Thomas, in Minnesota, called it a "form of a political coup d'état against our Constitution."
Throughout the 2020 campaign, Trump spread provably false disinformation about the voting process. He even floated the idea of unconstitutionally delaying the election, leading to a bipartisan rebuke.
After Trump lost, he falsely claimed victory and pressured election officials in battleground states to fraudulently throw out millions of votes for President Joe Biden. The most memorable example was Trump's hour-long call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, when he harangued the GOP official to "find" just enough votes to nullify Biden's narrow victory in that state.
Trump's legal team filed dozens of meritless lawsuits alleging fraud, which were rejected by a bipartisan array of federal and state judges, and the Supreme Court. When these efforts failed, Trump unsuccessfully tried to coerce then-Vice President Mike Pence to unlawfully override the Electoral College process and block Biden's victory in Congress.
"Nothing remotely compares to this," said Akhil Amar of Yale Law School, who is among the most-cited constitutional scholars in the country. "His actions since the election have threatened the very existence of our constitutional democracy. This looms large in the history of not just this administration, but the history of America. This is what history will remember most harshly."
Along the way, the Trump administration dragged its feet on the formal transition of power, which was delayed for weeks while Trump refused to acknowledge defeat. Biden said his team was met with "obstruction" from Trump appointees at the Pentagon and White House. Trump's efforts to undermine the transition are unprecedented in modern American history, the experts said.
"Trump has put more pressure on the integrity of the election process than any individual in modern American history. There has never been anything on this scale," said Rick Hasen, a former CNN analyst and election law expert who teaches at the University of California, Irvine.
#2: Inciting an insurrection
Trump's attempts to cling to power reached a horrifying crescendo on January 6, when he incited a large gathering of supporters in Washington to attack the US Capitol while the electoral votes were being counted.
"This in and of itself puts Trump in the lowest circle of hell among America's presidents, along with the likes of James Buchanan and Andrew Johnson," Amar said.
At a rally before the attack, Trump urged supporters to march to the Capitol and "fight like hell," telling them, "You'll never take back our country with weakness, you have to show strength." The protests quickly transformed into a violent mob, which overran police barriers and stormed the building. The occupation was quelled after several hours of violent clashes, which led to five deaths.
"It is not far-fetched to argue that he should have anticipated that his false election claims and incitement to march on the Capitol to 'stop the steal' would have devastating consequences," said Ross Garber, a Tulane Law School professor who previously defended four Republican governors that faced impeachment.
Figures from both parties labeled the attack an insurrection and blamed Trump for the violence, which killed one police officer and four rioters. No US president, with the possible exception of Andrew Johnson, has ever fomented a violent uprising against lawmakers, though Trump denies responsibility.
The incident led to Trump's second impeachment by the House, in the most bipartisan impeachment vote in US history, for "incitement of insurrection." The Senate is expected to begin Trump's trial on February 9.
"The founders intended that the office of the president be held by people with sufficient virtue," said Franita Tolson, a constitutional law professor at the University of Southern California. "They recognized the risk of someone who is a tyrant abusing the office, but they didn't build a system to prevent it. The question is, will we learn from this, and alter our Constitution to prevent this from happening again?"
#3: Abusing the bully pulpit
[...]
#4: Politicizing the Justice Department
[...]
#5: Obstructing the Mueller investigation
[...]
#6: Abusing the pardon power
[...]
#7: The Ukraine affair and cover-up
[...]
#8: Loyalty oaths and personalizing government
[...]
#9: Firing whistleblowers and truth-tellers
[...]
#10: Profiting off the presidency
[...]
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/24/politics/trump-worst-abuses-of-power/index.html
Analysis by Marshall Cohen
Illustrations by Alberto Mier
Updated 7:55 AM ET, Sun January 24, 2021
Washington (CNN)Former President Donald Trump flouted the limits of presidential power unlike any of his recent predecessors, leaving behind a legacy of unmatched abuses that range from violations of longstanding norms to potentially criminal behavior.
It was hard to keep track amid the daily deluge of controversial tweets and distractions that were a hallmark of the Trump presidency. And some of the most egregious abuses of power weren't clear at the time but came into focus after exhaustive investigations.
To chronicle Trump's most consequential abuses of power, CNN spoke with a politically diverse group of constitutional scholars, presidential historians and experts on democratic institutions.
While these 16 experts did not agree on everything, there was consensus that Trump's pattern of abusing his powers for personal or political gain reached an alarming level that hasn't been seen in modern history, and will have long-lasting consequences for the future of American democracy.
Here is a breakdown of Trump's 10 most significant abuses of power.
#1: Subverting the 2020 election
There is broad agreement among experts that Trump's most severe abuse of power was his relentless effort to undermine the 2020 election and overturn the legitimate results.
Michael Paulsen, a conservative legal scholar and professor at the University of St. Thomas, in Minnesota, called it a "form of a political coup d'état against our Constitution."
Throughout the 2020 campaign, Trump spread provably false disinformation about the voting process. He even floated the idea of unconstitutionally delaying the election, leading to a bipartisan rebuke.
After Trump lost, he falsely claimed victory and pressured election officials in battleground states to fraudulently throw out millions of votes for President Joe Biden. The most memorable example was Trump's hour-long call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, when he harangued the GOP official to "find" just enough votes to nullify Biden's narrow victory in that state.
Trump's legal team filed dozens of meritless lawsuits alleging fraud, which were rejected by a bipartisan array of federal and state judges, and the Supreme Court. When these efforts failed, Trump unsuccessfully tried to coerce then-Vice President Mike Pence to unlawfully override the Electoral College process and block Biden's victory in Congress.
"Nothing remotely compares to this," said Akhil Amar of Yale Law School, who is among the most-cited constitutional scholars in the country. "His actions since the election have threatened the very existence of our constitutional democracy. This looms large in the history of not just this administration, but the history of America. This is what history will remember most harshly."
Along the way, the Trump administration dragged its feet on the formal transition of power, which was delayed for weeks while Trump refused to acknowledge defeat. Biden said his team was met with "obstruction" from Trump appointees at the Pentagon and White House. Trump's efforts to undermine the transition are unprecedented in modern American history, the experts said.
"Trump has put more pressure on the integrity of the election process than any individual in modern American history. There has never been anything on this scale," said Rick Hasen, a former CNN analyst and election law expert who teaches at the University of California, Irvine.
#2: Inciting an insurrection
Trump's attempts to cling to power reached a horrifying crescendo on January 6, when he incited a large gathering of supporters in Washington to attack the US Capitol while the electoral votes were being counted.
"This in and of itself puts Trump in the lowest circle of hell among America's presidents, along with the likes of James Buchanan and Andrew Johnson," Amar said.
At a rally before the attack, Trump urged supporters to march to the Capitol and "fight like hell," telling them, "You'll never take back our country with weakness, you have to show strength." The protests quickly transformed into a violent mob, which overran police barriers and stormed the building. The occupation was quelled after several hours of violent clashes, which led to five deaths.
"It is not far-fetched to argue that he should have anticipated that his false election claims and incitement to march on the Capitol to 'stop the steal' would have devastating consequences," said Ross Garber, a Tulane Law School professor who previously defended four Republican governors that faced impeachment.
Figures from both parties labeled the attack an insurrection and blamed Trump for the violence, which killed one police officer and four rioters. No US president, with the possible exception of Andrew Johnson, has ever fomented a violent uprising against lawmakers, though Trump denies responsibility.
The incident led to Trump's second impeachment by the House, in the most bipartisan impeachment vote in US history, for "incitement of insurrection." The Senate is expected to begin Trump's trial on February 9.
"The founders intended that the office of the president be held by people with sufficient virtue," said Franita Tolson, a constitutional law professor at the University of Southern California. "They recognized the risk of someone who is a tyrant abusing the office, but they didn't build a system to prevent it. The question is, will we learn from this, and alter our Constitution to prevent this from happening again?"
#3: Abusing the bully pulpit
[...]
#4: Politicizing the Justice Department
[...]
#5: Obstructing the Mueller investigation
[...]
#6: Abusing the pardon power
[...]
#7: The Ukraine affair and cover-up
[...]
#8: Loyalty oaths and personalizing government
[...]
#9: Firing whistleblowers and truth-tellers
[...]
#10: Profiting off the presidency
[...]
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/24/politics/trump-worst-abuses-of-power/index.html
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