Trump poses great threat to U.S. democracy, checks and balances in government

Editor:

Donald Trump is running to be an authoritarian. He has already tried to overthrow our democracy in 2020 using a slate of illegally chosen electors and pressuring state election officials to illegally count votes that did not exist.

Mr. Trump has stated that if he is elected, he will reinstate Schedule F by Executive Order. Schedule F will replace civil service employment with political appointees who owe their jobs and benefits to the President.

And it is Mr. Trump’s stated intention to politicize the Department of Justice, the FBI, the military and other government agencies. Politicizing these departments will overthrow our democratic checks and balances.

In his prior presidency, Mr. Trump attempted to suppress or alter information deemed unfavorable to the administration including the path of a hurricane and scientific data on Covid-19. With political appointees there will be no accountability to the Congress or to the American people.

Mr. Trump, with a politicized Justice Department, will be able to order the arrest of his political opponents by an official act. With a politicized FBI, Mr. Trump will be able to order, by an official act, the investigation of any protesters.

We know that Mr. Trump is a convicted felon and a convicted sexual predator. Mr. Trump claims that all the evidence brought against him is political persecution. It is this attitude, that he is above the law, and not accountable for his actions, that is the hallmark of a totalitarian.

Mr. Trump is running to destroy our democracy and make himself an authoritarian.

William Fine

Brockport