The Sept. 10 front-page article “GOP probes threaten prosecutors’ independence” described efforts by Republicans to undermine investigations by investigating the investigators. The first paragraph said this is “a strategy that has been utilized by both parties.” The rest of the article cited not one single example of Democrats using this “strategy.” Instead, there are multiple examples of Democrats voicing support for and implementing policies that support prosecutorial independence.
This “both-sidesism,” which is rampant in media, creates the false narrative that Republicans’ extraordinary efforts, at all levels of government, to destroy the norms that protect our democracy are just business as usual. As a result, voters are numbed to the unique danger posed by a major political party that will stop at nothing to preserve its power. The overall article was a powerful indictment of these efforts by congressional Republicans to discredit legitimate investigations, which makes it all the more puzzling that this gratuitous sideswipe at Democrats was included.
