Donald Trump campaigned as the “Law and Order” candidate.  Not a big surprise, since every Republican before him positioned themselves as the same savior.  And, like the Republicans that came before him, he’s shown a… unique vision of what that means in practice.

So far, that’s included Trump firing all the US Attorneys.  Including, just by accident, the US Attorney (Preet Bharara) who had suggested investigating whether Trump was laundering Russian oligarch money.  And derailing an investigation into Trump’s donation to Pam Bondi’s campaign, just after she’d decided not to prosecute his charitable foundation (that cannot, by law, donate to partisan causes).

Until today, Trump hadn’t nominated a single replacement for all the US Attorneys he’d fired abruptly.  Not a one.  Normally, Republicans just criminally under-fund the IRS and call it a day.  Trump, as always, takes the normal Republican hypocrisy and kicks it up a notch.

Today, the Washington Post reported that Mr. Trump Goes After the Inspectors.  They say that, behind the scenes, Trump first tried to fire all the Inspectors Generals en masse.  When that failed, he’s worked to defang the Inspectors General offices as a whole.

Here’s a quote:

The inspectors’ offices are deeply affected by the current federal hiring freeze and would be further harmed by the administration’s proposed budget cuts. The budget takes unexplained specific aim at the Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, created in part to monitor the $700 billion taxpayer bailout for big banks. 

That office has gone after 96 bankers; at least 36 went to prison. In 2015 its investigators helped prosecute General Motors for covering up a defective ignition switch responsible for at least 15 deaths, securing a $900 million settlement. The administration wants to cut its budget in half, to $20 million; as a result it has stopped accepting applications to its foreclosure prevention program.

Why cut all the IG offices?  Trump.  Why that one office, especially?  Again, Donald Trump.  You just have to speculate about why he might be so bothered by that specific office.  You know he wouldn’t target them because they threatened someone else: it has to be something about him personally, or his family.

Interestingly, this evening, the Trump administration announced the first round of nominees to the US Attorneys he’d fired.  Not related to the Times editorial at all.  No sir.

But Trump’s nominees include a number of people who might have pledged their loyalty to Trump personally.  I already wrote about Jessie Liu, who has a special place in that list.  These days, I can’t imagine Trump nominating people otherwise.  And it’s not like he’s going out of his way to assuage any concerns.

Trump is the worst example, but he’s not different from other Republicans in his substance.