Sen. Murkowski should stand up for the FBI, Department of Justice

Sen. Lisa Murkowski took to Twitter Thursday to say that one of her goals is to tour all Alaska schools. She met with students and staff at Soldotna Elementary School.

Nothing wrong with visiting schools. All politicians do it. But that's not a goal. It's a publicity stunt.

A real goal would be for her to stand up to President Trump's attacks on the FBI and the Department of Justice. The president is damaging important institutions, with an assist from Congressional Republicans.

Her silence on the subject has made her complicit, along with Sen. Dan Sullivan. Their inability to take the president to task for anything has been the clearest sign of how they have opted to put a priority on party loyalty.

They will say that since they never publicly endorsed Trump's excesses, such as his attacks on the FBI and the Department of Justice officials appointed by Trump, they are not to blame.

That's not how this works. Staying quiet is tantamount to supporting Trump's tirades. So is releasing statements that purport to show concern, but always stop short of offending their leader.

The two Alaska senators should heed the words of Sen. John McCain about "doing Putin's job for him," undermining the rule of law and partisan attacks on law enforcement.

McCain's statement said:

“In 2016, the Russian government engaged in an elaborate plot to interfere in an American election and undermine our democracy. Russia employed the same tactics it has used to influence elections around the world, from France and Germany to Ukraine, Montenegro, and beyond. Putin’s regime launched cyberattacks and spread disinformation with the goal of sowing chaos and weakening faith in our institutions. And while we have no evidence that these efforts affected the outcome of our election, I fear they succeeded in fueling political discord and dividing us from one another.

“The latest attacks on the FBI and Department of Justice serve no American interests – no party’s, no president’s, only Putin’s. The American people deserve to know all of the facts surrounding Russia’s ongoing efforts to subvert our democracy, which is why Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation must proceed unimpeded. Our nation’s elected officials, including the president, must stop looking at this investigation through the warped lens of politics and manufacturing partisan sideshows. If we continue to undermine our own rule of law, we are doing Putin’s job for him.”