A group of law professors, former prosecutors and retired judges signed an open letter this past Friday condemning President Donald Trump’s April 9 memoranda targeting two former national security officials.
“The president of the United States must not direct federal authorities to investigate people with whom he disagrees,” according to the open letter. “No matter one’s party or politics, every American should reject the notion that the awesome power of the presidency can be used to pursue individual vendettas. Behavior of this kind is more to be expected from a royal despot than the elected leader of a constitutional republic. This is the path of autocracy, not democracy.”