Yet another member of the Trump administration resigns and lashes out at Donald Trump
With Election Day approaching, time is running out for anyone close to Donald Trump or his henchmen who wishes to denounce his corrupt administration to do so in a way that matters. Fortunately, more people from a range of backgrounds are rising to the occasion, risking their career and reputation to offer their insight into why a second Trump term would ensure a five-alarm fire.
One of these people is Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip Halpern, who announced his departure from the Department of Justice in a blistering editorial published Thursday evening by The San Diego Union-Tribune. A 36-year veteran of the DOJ, Halpern “proudly served” 19 different attorneys general in six administrations of varying political ideologies. Prior to Barr, Halpern “always believed” that the leaders were doing their best to follow the rule of law and serve the interests of the American people.
Over this past year, however, Halpern came to accept the disturbing reality that Barr “seems determined to turn our democracy into an autocracy.” Halpern pointed out that Barr has “never actually investigated, charged or tried a case,” yet he is quite experienced at displaying a “slavish obedience to Donald Trump’s will.” Rather than strive to protect the public and administer blind justice, Barr has proven himself to be “Trump’s lap dog,” and so Halpern is “fleeing” this hotbed of corruption.
Another such person is Caroline Rose Giuliani, who kneecapped Trumpism yesterday from a very different angle through a fervent call to arms in Vanity Fair. Giuliani explained that she has always been “multiverses apart” from her father, Rudy, and that it’s easy to feel “hopeless and overwhelmed” in the face of the Trump administration’s wanton cruelty, divisive rhetoric, systemic racism, and perpetual chaos.
Giuliani now warns that Americans “have to stand and fight” rather than run away and act powerless. She implores voters not to succumb to paralysis and doom but “engage in our democracy to meet this critical moment.” Although Joe Biden wasn’t Giuliani’s first choice in the primaries, she knows he “will be everyone’s president if elected.” More importantly, while Giuliani believes there is “hope on the horizon,” she reminds us that “[t]he only way to end this nightmare is to vote.”
Trump’s first term has been a colossal disaster, thanks in large part to treasonous enablers such as Bill Barr and Rudy Giuliani. Although recent polls favor the Biden-Harris ticket, this promising news is no excuse for apathy or defeatism. Philip Halpern and Caroline Rose Giuliani are just the latest individuals to sound the alarm about the unthinkable trauma of a second Trump term. In these final weeks before the election, we must focus our energy on getting out the vote to turn the Senate blue and extricate Trump from our democracy by historic margins.
Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month