Is a battle of Trump vs the US Constitution looming?

Kevin Rafferty says the Trump presidency is becoming a law unto itself. His attack on the integrity of America’s intelligence and law enforcement agencies, especially, raises worry that he may try to thwart the FBI investigation into Russia links

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US President Donald Trump claps after finishing his first State of the Union address on January 30. Since delivering his unifying message, Trump’s decision to release a memo accusing the FBI and the Department of Justice of misconduct has widened the divide between the Republicans and the Democrats. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 10:30am, 9 Feb 2018Updated: 10:52am, 9 Feb 2018

President Donald Trump is driving the United States towards a new and dangerous civil war. In the last week, he has destroyed the little lingering trust between Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives and attacked the integrity of America’s intelligence and law enforcement agencies.

The worry is that these games are a smokescreen for a bigger battle: Dictator Trump against the Constitution, and against anyone who gets in his way.

The Trump presidency is becoming a law unto itself, subject to none of the restraining norms of good governance, sensible policy planning, or even common sense. It turns on the mercurial mood swings and capricious whims of one man, Trump himself. This is primarily America’s internal problem. But, given the global influence of the US, it is an issue that concerns all of us.

The shenanigans over the release of the controversial memo by Devin Nunes, the chairman of the House of Representatives’ intelligence committee, illustrate the polarisation in American politics.

Nunes, a Trump loyalist, published the memo after ramming it through the committee, against express warnings from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Justice Department, which claimed that the release could endanger national security.

Explainer: what is the Republican memo about and is it telling the truth?

House minority leader Nancy Pelosi and House speaker Paul Ryan attend a meeting with US President Donald Trump in December 2017. The Trump presidency has widened the divide between the Democrats and the Republicans. Photo: Abaca Press / TNS