Mueller investigation must not be tampered with: Guestview

Ryan Wiggins | Guest columnist

People in this nation on both sides of the political spectrum have very strong opinions on whether or not the Mueller investigation is a “witch hunt” or our democracy in action. Because of the president’s involvement, objectivity has flown out the window in favor of tribalism. In the media and in the eyes of the party faithful, the investigation boils down to Team Trump vs. Team Never Trump. But, if we all take a breath and take a step back, this investigation has nothing to do with our president, but protecting our democracy from a terrorist attack from a foreign entity.

There is nothing more sacred to a democratic body than our electoral process. Free elections where the will of the people — our people — decides who will lead us and the direction our country will go, is the very cornerstone of our democracy. Any interference with that process is an affront our freedom and the foundation our country was built on. It is terrorism, pure and simple and it is vital to the future of this nation that we understand what happened and who was involved so that we can prevent such attacks in the future.

Ronald Reagan once said, “freedom is never more than one generation from extinction.” He understood that steady erosion of our constitutional norms could destroy everything we as Americans hold dear. Brave men and women have died protecting our right to free elections and fighting for the rights of people all over the world to engage in free elections as well. It is a basic human right that protects us from being enslaved by our government.

Precedence will be set on how we as a nation allow our elected officials to handle this investigation. Make no mistake, the entire world, including enemies of the state, are watching how America handles the Russian probe. If we allow the President to end this investigation for any reason, we are sending a clear message to foreign entities that the very soul of our nation is vulnerable to attack and that a foreign government can bring down the strongest nation in the free world simply by infiltrating our electoral process.

Whether you support this president or not, it should bring you pause to think that a foreign enemy could have a say on who leads and directs this country. You should understand that if this president can end the investigation, it will forever put the executive office above the law. Even if you do not believe this president is capable of such atrocities as conspiring with a foreign body to sway an election, the precedence that will be set if Mueller is fired and the investigation is closed, will allow anyone sitting in that office going forward to engage in unspeakable corruption and potential conspiracy against our nation without consequence.

There is more at stake here than partisanship. We are at a very consequential crossroads that will determine the fate of our nation and the balance of our government. As Americans, it is time to put politics and partisan biases aside and do what is right for the future of our democracy. The Mueller investigation must continue, untampered with, and we must let the chips fall where they may.

Ryan Wiggins is a Florida based Republican political consultant and strategist. You can find her on Twitter @Ryan_N_Wiggins.