🔗 Share this article The Former FBI Director's True Offense: Putting the Law Before Loyalty to Trump During 1931, an exceptionally gifted young attorney named Hans Litten summoned Adolf Hitler to testify before the court. Litten acted for four victims of a brutal assault carried out by members of Hitler's SA paramilitary group at an entertainment venue patronized by political activists. When the assault ended, three people lost their lives. Throughout the extensive questioning of Hitler, Litten accomplished something unprecedented. The dictator anticipated fear, but instead found himself skillfully interrogated while sworn in, transformed into a stammering rage. By trapping Hitler through inconsistencies and revealing his habitual dishonesty, Litten also exposed the Nazi goal of destroying German democracy. Hitler's revenge came two years later, shortly after his ascent to authority. In the wake of the parliament burning while employing special powers allegedly for security, Hitler commanded the arrest and "protective custody" of numerous political enemies, including Litten. Over five years, as he moved between concentration camps, Litten faced repeated beatings and torture. In 1938, seeing no possibility of release, he ended his life. His offense: defending the rule of law and democratic governance against an aspiring dictator. Modern Parallels The United States in 2025 is not the Weimar Republic in 1933. Nevertheless, Litten's experience carries uncomfortable similarities. Recently, federal prosecutors for the eastern district of Virginia revealed that the ex-FBI chief James Comey faced charges for supposedly providing false statements while sworn before Congress. The case against Comey appear so flimsy that Erik Siebert, Trump's appointed legal official, resisted filing charges. His fair assessment naturally provoked the president's anger. "Remove him," Trump fumed, leading to the prosecutor stepped down before dismissal, vacating his position after barely eight months. The president hastily named a replacement: a personal lawyer, part of Trump's inner circle currently holding key positions within the Department of Justice. Despite having never prosecuting cases and managing complex national security cases, Halligan's main credential seemed readiness to do what Siebert would not: indulge Trump's desire for revenge. The charges she filed targeting the former director, delivered shortly prior to the statute of limitations expired, only confirmed the previous prosecutor's concerns. Legal Process Legal trainees often learn the saying that a determined lawyer may secure a grand jury "to indict any target." However, the new prosecutor seemingly could not: the grand jury refused to indict on a single of three counts submitted. Trump celebrated the remaining charges through announcing on social media: "JUSTICE IN AMERICA!" – perhaps an apt, though accidentally dystopian, description of the current state of the rule of law in our nation. This situation involves personal vengeance, yet represents much more alarming implications. Assuming momentarily that the president faced biased investigation previously, nevertheless improper for the nation's leader to respond to perceived wrong with another. The truth is that the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election – the origin of the president's crusade targeting the former director – was not politically motivated "witch-hunt". Rather, it uncovered an extensive, organized campaign to disrupt the electoral process. True Transgression The former director's genuine "crime" parallels Hans Litten's. He dared to demonstrate loyalty to his office and the law, instead of the president. Not that the director faces sharing the lawyer's tragic end. By publicly declaring the director's culpability and transparently interfering in judicial proceedings, Trump has provided the judge grounds to throw out charges as vindictive prosecution. Should Comey face court proceedings, the prosecution's clear flaws could easily lead to dismissal. And should a guilty verdict occurred and incarcerated, America presently maintains no system of concentration camps where political opponents endure organized abuse. But that provides cold comfort. Reality persists that Comey is being persecuted, not prosecuted, for prioritizing service to the nation over obedience to a man. As if following an authoritarian playbook, the president ensures Comey pay his act of constitutional fidelity. What ought to concern every citizen is the facility with which Trump, assisted by his craven legal lackeys, has transformed the proudly independent justice department into an instrument of consolidating power.