A toast to the ‘no’ men
Jan 29, 2018, 6:00 AM | Updated: 6:27 am
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller, the special counsel probing Russian interference in the 2016 election. (File, Associated Press)
(File, Associated Press)
What do we make of this latest story that, back in June, the president gave an order to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, but was stopped by White House lawyer Don McGahn, who threatened to resign if he went through with it?
I know there are some doubts that this actually happened, and maybe he was misunderstood. Perhaps instead of saying I want Mueller Fired, he was saying “I want Mueller fired … UP!”
“I want Mueller fired UP … about pursuing this witch hunt!”
That’s the best I can do.
But now let’s suppose it did happen as reported.
It would mean he isn’t just surrounded by “yes” men, but that he’s got a few “NO” men too. It would mean that a White House lawyer had the guts to tell the president “no,” which is a good thing. It would also mean that he kept his job after doing it — also a good thing.
In 1971, Richard Nixon sent a list of 200 Democrats to IRS Commissioner Randolph Thrower with orders to figure out a way to prosecute them. Thrower refused. Nixon fired him, appointed Johnnie Mac Walters as the new commissioner, and sent over the same enemies list. Walters showed it to Treasury Secretary George Schultz. Both agreed to lock up the list and ignore Nixon’s order.
I don’t know what Trump did or didn’t do, but I propose a toast to the no men. Here’s hoping there are a few of them hovering around the Big Red Button too.
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