Trump is now treading on thin ice.

The U.S. Department of Justice appointed former FBI director Robert Mueller to investigate Trump’s Russia scandal. This step was taken due to the non-stop flood of news reports and increasing public demands for a proper investigation of the case. Depending on the results, Trump could very well be subject to impeachment proceedings.

He is also facing media criticism for allegedly leaking classified information to Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, and its Washington ambassador, Sergey Kislayak, when they met with Trump in the Oval Office.

The New York Times reported that in a private meeting in the Oval Office between Trump and recently dismissed FBI director James Comey, Trump said he hoped Mr. Comey would shut down the investigation into Mr. Trump’s former national security advisor, Michael T. Flynn. Although Trump has denied making such a demand, this incident has been used to slam him for jeopardizing the FBI’s independence.

Republican Senator John McCain commented that this scandal has reached “Watergate size” (a reference to the incident that ended in President Nixon’s resignation).

Media Opinion Is Based on a Collection of Leaks

Most of the media has pretty much decided that Trump is guilty, but a closer look at these scandals brings to light that much of what Trump has done is unproblematic, and much of the supposed evidence is unreliable, leaked information.

• The U.S. President has the right to dismiss the FBI director for any reason. So, while Comey had yet to complete his 10-year term, Trump’s move was perfectly legal.
• Since last July the FBI has been investigating whether there has been any collusion between Trump’s campaign team and Russian intelligence officers to manipulate the election results, but in all that time no evidence has been found.
• President Putin is willing to share with the U.S. Congress records and transcripts of Lavrov and Kislayak’s meeting with Trump.
• Who are the “two people who have read” Comey’s memos that allegedly reveal Trump “trying to win over and influence [the] F.B.I. director”, as reported in The NY Times?
• Trump is said to have jeopardized FBI independence in his alleged conversation with Comey in the Oval Office, but this is not true. The U.S. President is the highest authority in the government, and has the legal right to question his subordinates in the pursuit of particular cases.
• If Comey felt FBI independence was being jeopardized, why did he not make it public immediately?

 
The media tends to gather information based on its public appeal rather than its accuracy. Indeed, the facts surrounding claims that Trump leaked classified information to Russia, and the incident with Comey’s memo, are unclear. This sort of vague information is unveiled every day, and the media is in a frenzy making it look like Trump is isolated and pushed into a tight corner.

Concerned about its public image, the FBI has resorted to appointing a special counsel to conduct the Russia investigation.

The situation looks as though it is following a well-planned script to bring Trump down: Russia scandal leaks → media frenzy → establishes public opinion → investigations → impeachment trials.

Wiretapping and Surveillance Ethics: The Deep State Problem

The continuous leaking of information to damage Trump has at its core the deep state problem. “Deep state” means a “state within a state” and refers to a shadow bureaucracy that influences state policy without regard for the democratically elected leaders.

The shadow bureaucracy uses secret NSA, CIA and FBI information as its weapon. In April this year, Susan Rice, who was the National Security Advisor to Barack Obama, told MSNBC that the Obama administration wiretapped Trump and his aides after their election victory.

The spy system used by the NSA, CIA and FBI was created in 2002, and it is said to target all people in the U.S. If this were true, it would be every socialist regime’s dream.

The information leaked in the Russia scandal seems to come from this (or a similar) system. The former Representative for Ohio, Dennis Kucinich, told Fox News:

“You have a politicization of the agencies that is resulting in leaks from anonymous unknown people and the intention is to take down a President. This is very dangerous to America: it’s a threat to our republic. It constitutes a clear and present danger to our way of life. So, we have to be asking, ‘what is the motive of these people?’ . . . ‘Why doesn’t somebody come forward and make a charge, put their name and a reputation behind it instead of attacking through the media and not substantiating their position?’ …”If a President stands in their way . . . they’ll just try to run that person out,” Kucinich explained.

Representative for California, Duncan Hunter, also spoke to Fox News:

“They’re dealing with seditious people within the Department of Justice, within the FBI, within the Department of Interior, within the CIA,” Rep. Hunter said. “There are just people that don’t approve of the Trump presidency, and I think that they’re trying to take him down from the inside.
“I think you have people within the government, what you call the deep state, bureaucrats, Obama appointees that hate Donald Trump,” Hunter added.

This is a threat to the republic, and a threat to democracy. We cannot possibly allow a bureaucracy that is not elected by the people to drag down a president’s advisor (Flynn) or enflame the media to force Trump into impeachment proceedings.

The German sociologist Max Weber warned about the dangers of the corruption of bureaucracy. He predicted that the bureaucracy would eventually suppress the liberty of the people. He warned that democracy and socialism would eventually come under bureaucratic authority devoid of noble ambitions and the spirit of public service.

This is exactly what is happening in America right now.

Trump Should Replace the Bureaucrats

So, what should Trump do to save the dignity of America?

America uses the “spoils” system to replace government bureaucrats with each new administration. But many members from the Obama administration have remained in the current structure. To add to this, before he ended his term Obama actually expanded the NSA sharing network of classified information, meaning a greater number of bureaucrats can now get hold of and leak a larger body of classified information.

The only way to stop this anti-national, anonymous leaking, is for President Trump to replace the bureaucrats. Ronald Reagan not only replaced the Cabinet, but also personally appointed their subordinates to consolidate a pro-Reagan government body. Trump needs to do the same.

The man said to be the greatest U.S. President in history, Abraham Lincoln, replaced 78% of the bureaucrats when he took office. If Trump does this, it should be on an equal scale.

If the culprits behind the leaking are identified, the Espionage Act can be used to prosecute them.

If these leaks continue, Trump will be unable to go forward with his tax reductions, and his huge infrastructure investment plans will have to be postponed. If Russia becomes an enemy to the U.S., it will become harder to solve the threatening North Korea problem.

We are reminded of the need to “drain the swamp”, as Trump insisted repeatedly during his election campaign.

In his speech at Liberty University, Trump told the graduating youth that the future is in the hands of those who keep dreaming, not those who criticize. Now we all need to patiently watch in the hope that Trump will win this ‘civil war’ with the intelligence agencies, and reform the corrupt bureaucracy.

（Hanako Cho）