Barring Jim Acosta from the White House has provoked Fox News has joined other news organizations in their lawsuit against Trump. It has up until now been the case that Fox News would defend Trump no matter what he said or did.
A newly formed group ‘Checks and Balances’, whose members have ties to the Federalist Society (Trump’s go to source for names for appointments to the federal courts) has issued a mission statement clearly aimed at curtailing Trump’s abuse of power. His latest ploy, firing Sessions and appointing Whitaker, in order to end the Mueller investigation has proved to be too much.
There mission statement:
They may not wield direct political power, but they will certainly influence the hearts and minds of educated conservatives whose concerns go beyond lowering corporate taxes and deregulation. A couple of points made in an article in the New Republic published today Entitled: “Does the Federalist Society Still Need Trump?” https://newrepublic.com/article/152251/ ... need-trumpWe are a group of attorneys who would traditionally be considered conservative or libertarian. We believe in the rule of law, the power of
truth, the independence of the criminal justice system, the imperative of individual rights, and the necessity of civil discourse. We believe these principles apply regardless of the party or persons in power. We believe in “a government of laws, not of men.”
We believe in the Constitution. We believe in free speech, a free press, separation of powers, and limited government. We have faith in the resiliency of the American experiment. We seek to provide a voice and a network for like-minded attorneys to discuss these ideas, and we hope that they will join with us to stand up for these principles.
The Federalist Society has tolerated Trump because he was their ticket to controlling the judiciary. Now that they have a lock on the Supreme Court they may be less willing to overlook his threats to democracy. If support for him diminishes they may be emboldened and less fearful of reprisal if they are critical of him.
Trump is evidently worried about what the Mueller investigation will reveal, but attempts to curtail it will also be damaging and are likely to be unsuccessful. I won’t make any predictions on the outcome of any of this or anything else he does. Each day brings something new.