When Democrats and the media say they’re concerned about ‘independence’ in Trump’s appointees, they mean they want insubordination. //

Neither Democrats nor the Washington-based news media want Donald Trump’s presidency to succeed and one of the most effective ways to ensure it doesn’t is for people to sabotage his administration from within, as was often the case in his first term.

But they don’t explicitly acknowledge that reality. They instead cloak the subversion in nobility by referring to “independent” administration officials or cabinet appointees whom they urge to “exercise independence.”

On Friday’s episode of The New York Times’ “The Daily” podcast, reporter Jonathan Swan said Trump and his closest allies are “scouring the executive branch, looking for any pockets of independence and removing them.” Likewise, during the confirmation hearing for Trump’s pick for attorney general Pam Bondi, Democrat Sen. Chris Coons said, “One of the concerns I’ve raised … is safeguarding the Department of Justice’s independence…”. //

Every elected Republican and “career civil servant” (aka government bureaucrat) who did that in Trump 1.0 was turned into a media hero: Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, Alexander Vindman, Miles Taylor (who?!), Mark Milley, James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Christopher Wray, John Brennan and on and on and on.

Each one of those “independent” fellows proved their courage by undermining the person to whom power was bestowed by the voters. To be called “independent” by Democrats and the media is to do everything Democrats and the media want you to do. Amazing how that works.