George W. Bush-Appointed Judge Fears U.S. Becoming 'Banana Republic' Under Trump

A federal judge appointed by George W. Bush thinks the Department of Justice (DOJ) under Attorney General William Barr is acting like “a banana republic” by targeting enemies of President Donald Trump.

U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton made the comments during a knock-down, drag-out courtroom argument with government attorneys last September. The topic of debate was indirectly related to the eventual fate of former Deputy Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Andrew McCabe.

Specifically, Walton was sparring with Barr’s apparatchiks over an ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit brought by non-profit government watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics Washington (CREW), which has long sought documents related to the decision-making process viz. McCabe’s firing in early 2017.

Judge Walton did not mince words:

The public is listening to what’s going on, and I don’t think people like the fact that you got somebody at the top basically trying to dictate whether somebody should be prosecuted…I just think it’s a banana republic when we go down that road. I think there are a lot of people on the outside who perceive that there is undo inappropriate pressure being brought to bear…It’s just, it’s very disturbing that we’re in the mess that we’re in in that regard.

more: https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/george-w-bush-appointed-judge-fears-u-s-becoming-banana-republic-under-trump/