It has been theoretically tamped down with independent agencies and watchdogs.
What's happening isn't just business as usual, it's unusual. The last president we had that openly defied the courts and the law was Andrew Jackson. And even he wasn't so brazen.
What we are finding out is that rules don't mean anything without enforcement and the US had a particular unaddressed threat in a party that doesn't care about the law and an executive agency filled with sycophants.
What the Trump admin is doing was supposed to be resolved with impeachment and removal from office. Fat chance republicans will react accordingly.
