Trump takes on the FBI

President Trump takes particular delight in disparaging American institutions: The judiciary, especially those judges who have put on hold his often ill-advised and poorly drafted executive orders; the media generally, labeling “fake news” any news he doesn’t like; the nation’s intelligence agencies and now the FBI.

This weekend the president directed his ire at the FBI. Yes, ordinary people may know them as the “good guys” who hunt down terrorists, bank robbers, kidnappers and drug kingpins. But to Donald Trump, well, they are just part of the grand conspiracy against him — an agency that is now “the worst in history.”

The news that special counsel Robert Mueller had removed a veteran FBI agent from his team

last summer for a text message that expressed political opinions critical of Trump (the text was actually written during the campaign and went to an FBI lawyer with whom the agent had a personal relationship) sent the president into a Twitter fit. And it gave him a chance to once more besmirch the reputation of former FBI Director James Comey in the process.

“After years of Comey, with the phony and dishonest Clinton investigation (and more), running the FBI, its reputation is in Tatters — worst in History! But fear not, we will bring it back to greatness.”

“Tatters” — really?

He also retweeted a post urging current Director Christopher Wray to “clean house” at the FBI.

Now most people would look at Mueller’s action and see those of a seasoned prosecutor who wanted his investigative team to be above reproach. Trump, in the wake of the guilty plea by his own former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn for lying to the FBI, sees only a muchneeded opportunity for a political attack and seizes it.

Frankly it smacks of desperation. But even more it seeks to damage an institution that this nation depends on — and that’s unworthy of the high office of president.