The Terry McAuliffe bribery story, which broke today in the Wall Street Journal, spotlights both the reach and the modus operandi of the Clinton Machine's culture of corruption.  It offers as well a perfect snapshot of the threat posed to our nation if the Clintons are returned to the White House.

Suddenly the governor of Virginia finds himself the poster boy for Clintonism.  He should not be surprised.

In the course of a highly successful business career, Terry McAuliffe has been linked to Bill and Hillary Clinton for decades.  When they left the White House, he guaranteed the mortgage on their Chappaqua home.  He also raised a record amount of money for their campaigns.  He then preceded Debbie Wasserman-Schultz as head of the Democratic National Committee.

Now, as governor of Virginia, McAuliffe has been pardoning convicted felons in his state as fast as he can individually – after a mass pardon was invalidated by the state supreme court – so they can vote for Hillary.  McAuliffe's 2013 election was only the most recent sign that Virginia is trending Democratic.  The Old Dominion voted for Barack Obama both times.  McAuliffe now appears to be doing everything he can to deliver his state to Hillary.

This morning, it came out that McAuliffe's PAC made a huge contribution – $467,000 – to the state senate campaign of Jill McCabe, the wife of Andrew MacCabe, an FBI deputy director who just happens to be at the heart of the FBI's Hillary probe.  The Virginia Democratic Party donated another $207,000.  Even CNN's John King, memorably, thinks it “stinks.”

According to the Daily Beast, McAuliffe was already under FBI investigation for taking potentially illegal campaign contributions from a Chinese billionaire in a matter involving the Clinton Foundation.

In my opinion, this scandal tops Bill's famous tarmac meeting with U.S. attorney general Loretta Lynch.  TarmacGate was just politics and cronyism.  This appears to be hardcore corruption, with both the appearance and the possibility of bribery of a federal officer and potential obstruction of justice.  Together, they show why a special prosecutor is needed to root all this out and to restore the integrity of our national politics and law enforcement.  If we do not, we are truly facing, like Cicero when Pompey battled Caesar, the potential end of the Republic.  Hillary will be the first Roman emperor.

The emperors, by definition, were above the law.

In the meantime, with only two weeks to go until the vote, the Dems are shouting "no quid pro quo."  And "Nothing to see here.  Move on."

Soon, liberal commentators will be doing the same.

In the meantime, FBI director James Comey has been handed a golden opportunity to rethink all his agency has done in this scandal and begin rebuilding the Bureau's tarnished reputation.  So, before being cynical, let us hope for Lincoln’s “better angels of our nature.”

An announcement by Mr. Comey that the Bureau has accepted the resignation of McCabe and that the Clinton investigation is being reopened – with a request by Director Comey for appointment of a special prosecutor – will do much to redress the poison in our politics.  James Comey can faithfully serve his country and discharge his oath to “preserve, protect, and defend” the Constitution of the United States without fear or favor by doing that.  So let’s see if he does it.