A group of Republicans opposed to President Donald Trump is calling him out for a series of maneuvers they equate to a legal shell game to avoid being held accountable.
And they’re doing it with an ad on one of his favorite networks: Fox News.
“Our nation’s founders fought a war to get rid of a king,” the spot begins. “So when they wrote our Constitution, they designed a government in which everybody ― even the president ― must obey the law.”
That led to the creation of checks and balances between the branches, the spot from Republicans for the Rule of Law notes. But Trump is telling Congress it has to go to court to obtain documents and then telling the courts they can’t weigh in because he’s accountable to Congress.
“That’s not how it’s supposed to work in America,” the spot warns. “No one is above the law, and no one gets special treatment.”
Republicans for the Rule of Law linked up with the nonpartisan group Protect Democracy ― launched by ex-Obama administration attorneys ― for the video. A shorter version aired on several Fox News shows, including “Hannity” and “Tucker Carlson Tonight” in Washington D.C. on Tuesday.
The two groups also released a joint statement accusing Trump of flouting the fundamental principle of checks and balances.
“Neither the president, nor Congress, nor the courts can have unlimited power,” they said. “But President Trump blatantly flouts that notion, abusing his power and then playing a dangerous shell game to avoid any accountability.”
Republicans for the Rule of Law also released a video featuring former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman (R) explaining what’s at stake: