The Powerful Interests Defending the Indefensible
I’m publishing this series of articles to share and discuss my ruminations on coping with a troubled and messy world. You can “follow” me to never miss an article.
The Evidence against Donald Trump’s indefensible actions mount every day. That he deliberately violated the safety and security some of this country’s most important documents and top secrets is beyond question. The only issue is whether he will be indicted and convicted. Indeed, as The New York Times reported, it’s a unique test for the Department of Justice and Merrick Garland[i]
At the same time, The New York Times Sunday Magazine also reported how one of the country’s biggest and most influential Law firms, Jones Day, aided Trump in his quest to disable American Democracy[ii]. It did so by playing a major role in stacking the Federal Courts with Ultra Conservative Judges, doing everything it could to stop Obamacare, blocking Environmental Protections Laws, and Enacting Restrictions on Mail Balloting. Members of the Firm also served in the Trump Administration, holding high offices. In short, it aided and abetted the worst excesses of Trump’s Administration.
If there is any good news to the story, it’s that a number of Junior members of the firm resigned saying that they couldn’t participate any longer in being a part of Trump’s Lawlessness. Several called him both a criminal and a fool. A few Senior members either retired or left as well.
The article makes perfectly clear how much powerful forces from the Right are literally hell bent in securing power by any means and using it to further Ultra-Conservative Ends. Democracy and the Will of the People mean nothing to them at all.
If there is any hope, I pray that the Republican opposition to a woman’s right to an Abortion will backfire and help elect Democrats in the Fall Mid-Terms. It’s key to saving what’s left of our Democracy.
[i] Katie Benner, “For Garland, Trump Inquiry Is Unique Test, “ The New York Times, Monday August 29, 2022, PP. A1and A17.
[ii] David Enrich, “The Untold Story Of How A Powerful Corporate Law Firm Moved American Government And Courts To The Right,” The New York Times Magazine, Sunday, August 28, 2022, PP. 30–35, 46–47, 49.
Ian I. Mitroff is credited as being one of the principal founders of the modern field of Crisis Management. He has a BS, MS, and a PhD in Engineering and the Philosophy of Social Systems Science from UC Berkeley. He Is Professor Emeritus from the Marshall School of Business and the Annenberg School of Communication at USC. Currently, he is a Senior Research Affiliate in the Center for Catastrophic Risk Management, UC Berkeley. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Academy of Management. He has published 41 books. His latest is: The Socially Responsible Organization: Lessons from Covid, Springer, New York, 2022.
Photo by Stefan Steinbauer on Unsplash
