American Nero

The History of the Destruction of the Rule of Law, and Why Trump Is the Worst Offender

Richard Painter, Peter Golenbock

• Publisher: BenBella Books
• Year: 2020
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• eBook ISBN:
  9781950665273
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Donald Trump is eroding the rule of law!

We've heard it said many times, and we can feel it in our guts. But what does "rule of law" really mean? And what happens when it breaks down?

From Richard Painter, a senate candidate and law professor who served as White House chief ethics counsel under President George W. Bush, and New York Times bestselling author Peter Golenbock, American Nero is an in-depth exploration the rule of law—the legal bedrock on which this country was founded.

Painter and Golenbock present a clear description of rule of law—arguably the single most important principle underlying our civilization. They also describe the abuses of power that have occurred throughout our nation's history. Beginning in Puritan New England with the infamous Salem Witch Trials, American Nero makes vivid stops at The Red Scare of the 1920s, Japanese-American internment, the McCarthy Era, and, much more recently, President Trump's attempt to violate the First Amendment by banning Muslims from entering the US.

While Trump is not the first offender, he is arguably the most blatant, and this unflinchingly honest and insightful work presents in devastating detail the ways in which our current president has trampled the rule of law with his attacks on the freedom of the press, the independence of the judiciary, and the autonomy of the justice department.

This is not a book about right vs. left —instead, it is about the rule of law, a principle that transcends partisan politics, and how vital it is to the survival of our country. This book serves as a call-to-action, looking ahead to a brighter future for our country, one where citizens and officials alike protect our rights and honor their responsibilities.

Timely and revealing, American Nero shares the lessons of history and lays the framework for returning to a society that respects the rule of law—an America that is consistent with our Founding Fathers' vision of a genuinely free nation.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Introduction: Three Narcissists: One Ancient, One Colonial, and One Modern
• Chapter 1: The Rule of Law in America
• Chapter 2: Assaults on the Rule of Law in Early America
• Chapter 3: The Civil War and Its Legacy
• Chapter 4: Immigration, the Red Scare, and Japanese American Internment
• Chapter 5: Russian Assault on the Rule of Law
• Chapter 6: The Nazi Assault on the Rule of Law
• Chapter 7: McCarthyism
• Chapter 8: Race and the Rule of Law
• Chapter 9: The Phony War: Science vs. Religion
• Chapter 10: The Stain of Vietnam
• Chapter 11: Tricky Dick and Dirty Tricks
• Chapter 12: Iran Contra
• Chapter 13: The Clinton Impeachment
• Chapter 14: W
• Chapter 15: “But Her Email …”
• Chapter 16: Who Is Donald Trump?
• Chapter 17: A Man of Many Assets or a Foreign Asset?
• Chapter 18: Draining the Swamp
• Chapter 19: The Steele Dossier and More: The Trump-Russia Connection
• Chapter 20: Russia Hacks the World
• Chapter 21: Putin Crowns Our President
• Chapter 22: Lies, Alternative Facts, Fake News, and the Free Press
• Chapter 23: Trump the Campaigner
• Chapter 24: Blowing Up Bridges, Building Walls
• Chapter 25: Two Tragic Figures
• Chapter 26: Robert Mueller: Trump’s Worst Nightmare
• Chapter 27: The Battle to Stop Robert Mueller
• Chapter 28: The Supreme Court
• Chapter 29: Barr’s Inside Job
• Chapter 30: The Mueller Report
• Chapter 31: Ukraine, China, Syria, and More
• Conclusion: Looking Ahead
• Notes
• Index
• Acknowledgments
• About the Authors