Posted on 05/27/2025 6:09:45 AM PDT by Jacquerie
Where there is government there is corruption. Corruption is a broad term. Perhaps in its simplest meaning it is just a departure from an original design. Various federal statutes set forth punishment for felony corruption in government, such as embezzlement or trading influence for money. Another category of corruption are high crimes. High crimes assault our governing form, our Constitution. While high crimes are not defined in the Constitution, we know the punishment for them is limited to removal from office.
In well-ordered government, institutions are strong enough to deter most, and punish nearly all who steal money, trade official action for money, or otherwise assault their nation’s governing form. In poorly operating government, scheming men and women openly enrich themselves at public expense or violate their Constitution of government without fear of removal from office. The former is associated with young republics, while the latter accompanies dying republics and absolute monarchies.
Republican society is horizontal. No one takes off his cap to speak with a fellow citizen. Being equal before God and government, no one is above the law. The health of a republic is reflected in how it deals with public corruption.
As opposed to the purpose of our government as set forth in the Preamble to our Constitution, to “secure the blessings of liberty,” a neutral observer of America 2017 could rationally conclude that our government’s purpose is to feed the money and power desires of its members. This situation didn’t develop overnight. It took a hundred years or so of high crimes and corruption of free government principles to render our Constitution little more than a scrap of paper, under which elected and unelected men and women exercise near unlimited power.
Like early Rome, the young American republic kept a close eye on public corruption. For instance, the daunting task of the first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, was to establish monetary stability and raise revenue to pay the enormous Revolutionary War debt. To avoid the appearance of impropriety, he closed his successful New York law firm and lived on his government salary. Most assumed that Hamilton would abuse his position to enrich himself and his friends. A congressional investigation in 1793 turned up nothing. As opposed to government service today, Hamilton went home poorer than when he entered. If only congress took its duties to carefully oversee the public purse today as it did then.
A Hillary sort of character in the late 18th century would have been crushed long before she grew wealthy in the course of selling out her country. On the flip-side, as illustrated by the first efforts of President Trump, it is very difficult for a virtuous man to reverse widespread societal and government corruption.
In a 1998 note to myself, I wrote, “The Clintons have gotten away with so much for so long, they believe they can get away with everything forever.” I thought their criminal run was over last summer, when, at a press conference, FBI director James Comey rattled off evidence of Hillary’s felonies and high crimes. Alas, it was not to be. The DOJ refused to indict or refer the matter to a grand jury. Not only will Hillary walk, her many underlings and hangers-on will most likely enjoy the profits of public corruption that endangers our national survival. Where is congress? On the other hand, and at about the same time last summer, I received a threatening letter from the IRS for a $35 delinquency.
As for high crimes, on March 15th, US district judge Derrick Watkins in Hawaii issued a restraining order against the President’s executive order to temporarily stop the entry of people from certain countries. Watkins usurped the Constitutional and statutory authority of the President to secure our borders. This is high crime corruption of the supreme earthly law, our Constitution. Few Americans understand the ramifications of Watkins’ judicial coup d’état.
Why are you recycling this now? Are you suggesting a reformed DOJ should start with Hillary?
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