Democrats and the Abuse of Presidential Power Ed Klein

[mystery-ak]

Democrats and the Abuse of Presidential Power
Ed Klein
5/2/2017 11:58:00 AM -

In view of mounting evidence that the Obama administration used the FBI, CIA and NSA to spy on the Trump campaign, let’s take a stroll down memory lane and check on past Democratic presidents and their abuse of power.

A tip of the hat to Jeff Kisseloff of The Nation, who reminds us that Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first president to order J. Edgar Hoover, the director of the FBI, to use the relatively new investigate tool of wiretapping against his political opponents.

According to Today in Civil Liberties History, Harry S. Truman approved a memo from his attorney general that authorized FBI wiretapping of political dissidents.

more
https://townhall.com/columnists/edklein/2017/05/02/democrats-and-the-abuse-of-presidential-power-n2321159

[Hondo69]

I find it interesting to compare actions such as wiretapping in periods past to that of today.  Roosevelt and Truman, for example, were forced to deal with card carrying Communists who made no bones about their political views and would often run candidates for office.  They also had to deal with supporters of Nazi Germany who were plentiful.  Joe Kennedy, ambassador to England, was one supporter who was actually part of the administration and there were others.

And spies were everywhere.  It makes for a tough balancing act especially when the entire world is at war.

[EasyAce]

Every time I remind myself of Democratic presidents' abuses of power, I remind myself concurrently of
how many Republican presidents in effect decided two wrongs made a right. And vice versa.

The Cult of the Presidency, to borrow the title of Gene Healy's imperative study, allows it to happen.
And they won't stop from presidents of either party until or unless the end of cultishness toward our
presidents, and the end of faith in an ominscient chief executive, is hastened.