Republicans have just declared that the Mueller Special Counsel investigation into Russian interference during the 2016 election is a “Witch Hunt”. And who would know better than them?
After several separate Congressional investigations into the 2012 Bengazi embassy attack/Clinton Email controversy, Republicans were unable to find any wrong-doing or criminal activity. The FBI even launched an exhaustive investigation and came to the same conclusion. So, end of story right?
No, Republicans continued to beat that dead horse by holding a grand total of EIGHT separate investigations. For this, Democrats called the never-ending investigations a “Witch Hunt” and rightly so. None of the subsequent investigations produced any changes in the verdict. It became obvious that the investigations were a blatant attempt to find something by which to discredit Hillary Clinton, the presumed front runner for the 2016 Democratic Presidential nomination. Or in other words, a witch hunt.
There was a time not long ago when witch hunts were very serious and dangerous business often ending with the accused (usually women) being sentenced to death by burning, drowning or hanging. The idea of witches and the need to punish them is first brought to us by the Bible (Exodus 22:18; Deuteronomy 18:10-14; Isaiah 8:19-22; Leviticus 20:26-27; Galatians 5:19-21; Revelation 21:8 just for starters). Exodus 20:18 specifically states that “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.”
But there is not much evidence of Jewish witch hunts. The religion that really took up witch hunting with great zeal and vigor was Christianity, particularly Medieval Christians who were chock full of superstition and fear. In their narrow-minded worldview they found the idea of witches, as the manifestation of the Devil, to be an evil so threatening that it had to be destroyed by the most extreme measures.. Witch trials were an outgrowth of the Inquisitions — Papal sanctioned eradication campaigns against any religious group such as Jews, Cathars or Waldensians who refused to recognize the Pope as God’s Supreme Pontiff. The Jesuits served as judge, jury and executioner of these cruel and mindless Inquisition trials.
Witch hunting was most popular between 1560 and 1650 in Europe. And in the American Colonies, the famous Hartford and Salem witch trials took place between 1670-1692. Historians have documented at least 12,000 witch executions but they also believe many more went undocumented. Of those, 75-80% were women. (https://www.thoughtco.com/european-witch-hunts-timeline-3530786).
Compare that to how we use the phrase “witch hunt” today: it means a hoax, a lot to do about nothing, a wasteful, meaningless process. This a perfect example of how a once-upon-a-time unshakable religious doctrine evaporates in the light of science and knowledge. Now we have the Republican party, heavily favored by Christian Evangelicals, using the word “witch hunt” to describe something that they believe is a hoax. Too bad they can’t appreciate the irony.
The Mueller investigation is anything BUT a witch hunt. In 7 short months, Mueller’s team has already issued indictments to two of Trump’s top campaign officials: Paul Manafort, Trump’s campaign manager; and Manafort’s second-in-command Rick Gates. They have also obtained guilty pleas from two of Trump’s administration officials: one from George Papadopoulos, a senior foreign affairs adviser and Michael Flynn, Trump’s National Security Advisor, both for LYING to the FBI.
Sorry Republicans. It can’t be a “witch hunt if it is actually uncovering wrong-doing and crimes at the highest level of Trump’s campaign and White House staff. And Mueller is just warming up. Now that Flynn is cooperating, the odds that Trump will get swept up in this investigation has gone up substantially.
Which is precisely why Republicans have raised the “witch hunt” mantra. When the Special Counsel was formed back in May, Republicans and Democrats were almost unanimous in their support and respect for Bob Mueller. He had the credentials and reputation to handle this investigation, possibly more than anyone else. Not to mention that Mueller is a registered Republican. Since then and up until recently there has been virtually zero controversy about the investigation — except for Trump tweets. Then it was reported that two members of Mueller’s team, FBI agents, were dismissed last August because they exchanged anti-Trump tweets.
Republicans went freaking ballistic! You would have thought that Mueller had promoted those agents to Chief Investigator! Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH) charged that “if every member of Bob Mueller’s Special Counsel team who was “anti-Trump” was kicked off, I don’t know if there’d be anybody left”. Really? That’s just inflammatory bullshit.
Representative Louie Gohmert (R-TX) brought back McCarthy era style interrogation of FBI Director Christopher Wray by listing the names of top FBI administrators and investigators, one by one, then asking Wray to reveal whether these individuals had demonstrated political partisanship (anti-Trump) in the line of duty. To which Wray replied “No” each time.
The real Witch Hunt going on in America today, an actual, old-time witch hunt, is the persecution of women who have come forward to accuse powerful men of sexually abusing or harassing them; men like Donald Trump, Roy Moore and Harvey Weinstein; and who have been called liars, political tools and publicity hounds.
Yet the sincerity and persistence of these women’s claims cannot and should not be so summarily dismissed. What motivation other than truth and justice could so many of them have? Why would they expose themselves to such harsh scrutiny, public humiliation and even more persecution? No court can resolve these charges, it is literally her word against his. Instead, we Americans must be the jury and based on the overwhelming evidence, we must presume these men to be guilty. Their punishment will be light, no prison time (unless the charges of rape can be proven), only removal from their offices of power and permanent shame. Moore was defeated, Weinstein has been fired, many other predators have resigned or been forced to quit.
This is no witch hunt, these crimes are REAL. Donald Trump is a CONFESSED sexual predator. He should never have been elected. But now that the ‘Reckoning’ is taking place, it is time the American people demand Donald Trump leave the office of the presidency. If he doesn’t, the Mueller Special Counsel witch hunt may do it for us.
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