America may be getting turned upside down by the coronavirus, but at least one thing hasn't changed: The nation's chief executive continues to undermine the rule of law in plain sight. Even as President Donald Trump was bungling his public messaging about the pandemic over the weekend, he also floated the idea of pardoning former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during its investigation of Russian election interference.

In a Twitter rant, Trump implied, as he has before, that the FBI and Justice Department are engaged in some dark conspiracy against him and his loyalists. A president who should be focused like a laser on the coronavirus response is instead consumed with false conspiracy theories and helping felonious cronies. It's stunningly irresponsible if familiar behavior - and it helps explain why public trust in government is so low at a time when it's so crucially needed.

While his administration on Sunday was frantically playing catch-up to convey the seriousness of the pandemic to the public, Trump's Twitter thumbs were rehashing his grievances over the Russia investigation. "So now it is reported that, after destroying his life & the life of his wonderful family (and many others also), the FBI, working in conjunction with the Justice Department, has 'lost' the records of General Michael Flynn," Trump wrote. "How convenient. I am strongly considering a Full Pardon!"

The "lost" records refers to an unsubstantiated claim by Flynn's lawyers that the FBI is hiding notes from interviews with Flynn, part of their strategy to have his guilty plea vacated and win acquittal based on technicalities. As with Trump's earlier demand that crony Roger Stone get a lighter sentence than federal prosecutors initially sought, the inappropriate insertion of the presidency into an ongoing court case is a clear violation of constitutional separation of powers - undertaken for Trump's personal benefit.

As with Stone and other criminals coddled by Trump, his offer of a lifeline to Flynn isn't about justice or even rewarding loyalty. Rather, it's about sending a message to others who might get into trouble for lying to protect the president: Take care of me and I'll take care of you. It's a mafioso's ethos, in service to Trump's ongoing attempt to escape accountability for obstructing justice and other behavior established in the Russia report.

Trump keeps demonstrating why he's the last person Americans need at the helm during a national emergency. When the nation's concern is about saving lives and stabilizing the financial system, the president displays how distracted he is on social media for the world to see. Just as Trump should stop commenting on the coronavirus response and leave it to the experts, he should quit putting his thumb on the judicial scale and let the courts deal with Michael Flynn.

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