Obama warns of institutional collapse as Trump DOJ targets rivals, norms erode

NEW YORK, NY: In a rare and pointed intervention, former President Barack Obama warned that the American democratic experiment is facing an existential crisis due to the systematic weaponization of federal power.

Speaking with Stephen Colbert on "The Late Show" in an interview that aired Tuesday night, May 5, Obama broke with the traditional decorum usually maintained by former commanders-in-chief to address the expansion of executive authority.

While he carefully avoided mentioning President Trump by name, his remarks provided a searing indictment of the current administration’s approach to governance and the rule of law.

Obama argued that while the nation can survive bad policy or "funky elections," the politicization of the criminal justice system represents a point of no return.

"We can’t overcome the politicization of our justice system, the awesome power of the state," Obama cautioned.

He emphasized that a government cannot function if those in power use federal resources to "go after their political enemies or reward their friends".

Justice Department is not a consiglieri

A central theme of the 25-minute interview was the independence of the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Obama pushed back against the current reality where the DOJ has attempted to prosecute high-profile adversaries of the President, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

He insisted that the White House must not be permitted to direct the Attorney General to prosecute individuals at the President's whim.

"The idea is that the attorney general is the people's lawyer. It's not the president's consiglieri," Obama said, calling for the codification of norms that ensure the DOJ remains independent in its judgments regarding specific cases.

Preserving military loyalty to the Constitution

Beyond the judicial branch, Obama expressed deep alarm over the perceived politicization of the United States military.

He noted that established norms were designed to ensure that the armed forces remain loyal to the Constitution and the American people, rather than to a specific leader.

He stressed the urgent need to find "mechanisms to restore" the separation between partisan politics and military service.

Furthermore, he critiqued the current use of the pardon power, which is enshrined in the Constitution suggesting it should not be used to favor campaign contributors.

Presidential side hustles and democratic struggle

Obama also touched upon executive ethics, stating that a president should not have "side hustles" that allow foreign entities or corporations to invest in their personal interests.

These remarks come as Obama prepares for the Juneteenth opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.

He described his hope that the center will remind the public of the "extraordinary journey" of the country and the ongoing struggle to ensure that the concept of "we the people" truly includes everyone, rather than a select few.

Despite his preference for staying out of the fray, Obama admitted to The New Yorker that the current administration's actions have forced him to be involved more than he would have preferred.