The “norms and traditions” that President Trump has incinerated aren’t timeless features of American democracy; they’re actually quite new—and brittle
” our very institutions with each break with precedent or decorum. There are also those, including presidential candidate Joe Biden, who insist that things can go back to normal when Trump is gone. Either in January 2021 or January 2025, these optimists hope, America will experience a restoration of these timeless customs.
While these departments and agencies have been led by political appointees since their inception, much of the outrage at the Trump administration’s politicization of the bureaucracy—particularly, intelligence and law enforcement agencies that are supposed to eschew partisanship—stems from a tacit belief that civil servants have always operated free of political influence. In fact, in the early decades of the “imperial presidency,” nothing could have been further from the truth.
Nixon also ordered the FBI, CIA and NSA to surveil New Left organizations and instructed the Justice Department to arrest several thousand anti-war protesters who marched on Washington, D.C., in May 1971. The federal courts At least since 1896, when Grover Cleveland’s staff designated a fixed work space for reporters assigned to the White House, presidents have acknowledged the importance of accommodating the journalists who cover their administrations. William McKinley made a habit of traveling with a press pool and, on one occasion, declined to visit the Vanderbilt family’s Biltmore Estate unless reporters were permitted to accompany him.
Presidents from Teddy Roosevelt through Franklin Roosevelt enforced a strict off-the-record rule when they addressed reporters. In effect, their press conferences weren’t press conferences in the way we think of such affairs today. Staff briefings were also generally conducted on background, without attribution, excepting cases when Tumulty or Early might authorize publication of a canned statement.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Charlie Kirk: Why the Trump presidency proves the central government must be decentralized | OpinionHere are my suggestions for making the government more accessible and responsive to citizens and less vulnerable to control by Washington Beltway lobbyists.
Read more »
Why Trump went all-out in New Hampshire and Iowa GOP primariesWhile Pres. Trump didn’t have a serious primary challenger in Iowa or New Hampshire, the re-election team and RNC launched a general election style effort to run up the score in both states. Campaign aides called it a “dry run” for November.
Read more »
Why AG Bill Barr's Trump 'rebuke' is so hard to take seriouslyFor Bill Barr, Trump's tweets about the Justice Department are not themselves the problem. It's the effects of the tweets that are the problem.
Read more »
Trump tweets about Barr interview after AG complains about Trump tweetingThe president asserts that he has a “legal right” to ask the attorney general to intervene in a federal criminal case.
Read more »
What Are Paczki and Why Is Everyone Freaking Out About Them?Paczki mania is sweeping the Midwest. Here's what you need to know.
Read more »