Barr is not working for the American people. He's working for Trump, just like Rudy Giuliani is working for Trump, as are all the other lapdogs, toadies, and sycophants.
Fortunately, some government appointees still understand their responsibilities to America. We're indebted to the anonymous intelligence officer who complained about Trump's phone call to Zelensky, and to Michael Atkinson, Inspector General of the Intelligence Community, who deemed the complaint of "urgent concern."
But if the 2020 election is going to be, and be seen as legitimate, the nation will need many more whistle-blowers and officials with integrity.
States must upgrade all election machinery and equip them with paper ballots that can be audited. Facebook and YouTube must devote more resources to protecting against malicious foreign trolls and bots.
All of us will need to be vigilant.
Over the last two and a half years, Trump has shown himself willing to trample any aspect of our democracy that gets in his way attacking the media, using the presidency for personal profit, packing the federal courts, verbally attacking judges, blasting the head of the Federal Reserve, spending money in ways Congress did not authorize, and subverting the separation of powers.
Trump believes he's invincible. He's now daring our entire Constitutional and political system to stop him.
The real value of the formal impeachment now underway is to put Trump on notice that he can't necessarily get away with abusing his presidential power to win reelection. He will still try, of course. But at least a line has been drawn. And now everyone is watching.
Regardless of how the impeachment turns out, Trump's predation can be constrained as long as his presidency can be ended with the 2020 election. If that election is distorted, and if this man is reelected, all bets are off.
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