The Balance of Powers

One of the foundational principles of our tri-parte government is the checks and balances that provides, where each of the three branches of government is supposed to provide oversight on the other two.

With Congress currently refusing to do its duty and impeach a clearly transgressive president, I've been wondering what it would take to activate the remaining branch, the judicial, which due to its lifetime appointments would at least be less open to political pressure. Could a citizen sue the White House? Could the American Bar Association bring a case to the court? How could this work?

The president, and many other government officials, have absolute immunity from prosecution for actions taken in office.

In other words: we're fucked.

This may balance things, at least we can hope. Justice Department Hands Trump-Russia Probe to Special Counsel.

It will be interesting.  The fact that it's gotten this far probably means there's some serious substance behind the allegations, although I have no illusions about the Russians leaving anything in the way of irrefutable evidence lying around.

Hopefully the investigation will move swiftly -- Mueller will probably get 18 months worth of the FBI's already uncovered data -- and maybe by year's end we'll see some kind of movement.

I'm not looking forward to President Pence, but there's something more important at stake here, the very foundation of American democracy.  

And Trump is only what, 4 months into his term?  I'll bet that is a new record.