Perceptions of Impropriety

On June 27th, 2016 former President Bill Clinton met briefly with Attorney General Loretta Lynch at Phoenix Airport, while Lynch's Justice Dept was investigating Hillary Clinton. The dawn came up like thunder.

Clinton and Lynch insisted their conversation was innocuous and had nothing to do with the investigation concerning Hillary Clinton. But the die was cast, GOP politicians insisted the meeting constituted, at best, a serious perception of impropriety and that Attorney General Lynch should recuse herself from any further involvement in the Hillary Clinton investigation. FBI Director James Comey wrote later that the meeting precipitated his decision to co-opt the Dept of Justice and Attorney General when he announced the results of investigation. 

In short, that innocuous, inadvertent meeting had immense ramifications, not because something nefarious happened but because something nefarious might have happened and Americans needed assurance that things were on the up and up. 

Yesterday, Dept of Justice prosecutors recommended Roger Stone be sentenced to seven to nine year in prison. His long-time friend, Donald Trump blew a gasket and ranted on Twitter that it was unfair, "a miscarriage of Justice!" Within hours, the Justice Dept announced their own line prosecutors had it wrong, that the recommended sentence -- which was in line with federal sentencing guidelines -- was too harsh. 

It was no less a perception (if not outright manifestation) of impropriety. Where is the GOP's outrage?