Luttig: American Democracy in Grave Peril Because ‘There Is No Republican Party’

Retired federal judge J. Michael Luttig said Wednesday on “CNN This Morning” that “American democracy” was in grave peril because there is no Republican Party.

Anchor Poppy Harlow asked, “Judge, you told our colleague after the latest indictment came down last week, these are as grave offenses against the United States as a president could commit, except possibly treason. I remind our viewers. you are a conservative’s conservative. Trump is winning by a mile in the polls. Republican officials are lining up behind him. What do you think has happened to your party?”

Luttig said, “Frankly, I don’t care about the Republican Party at all, except to the extent that the two political parties in America are the political guardians of democracy in our country. American democracy simply cannot function without two equally healthy and equally strong political parties. So, today, in my view, there is no Republican Party to counter the Democratic Party in the country. And for that reason, American democracy is in grave peril.”

Harlow asked, “There is no Republican Party?”

Luttig said, “In my view. let me explain, a political party is a collection, an assemblage of individuals who share a set of beliefs and principles and policy views about the United States of America. Today there is no such shared set of beliefs and values and principles, or even policy views, within the Republican Party for America. Until or unless the Republican Party can pull itself together into a credible Republican political party, we simply don’t have two competing parties in America.”

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