Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr are playing a dangerous game of chicken with the Democratic Congress that is rapidly becoming a clear-cut case of political posturing and obstruction of justice.
Politics
Although the Robert Mueller probe is complete, the Democratic-led House of Representatives is still conducting its own investigations into Donald Trump’s tax returns, White House security clearances, and Russian interference in the US electoral process. However, ‘The Donald’ has put up a roadblock by ordering federal employees not to comply with any congressional investigations and is again calling it a “witch-hunt” that has no merit. He’s even gone so far as to float the possibility of presidential pardons for anyone who is convicted of downright disobeying a congressional subpoena.
If that wasn’t enough, the Attorney General of the United States, William Barr, has acted as if he’s Trump’s personal attorney by declining an order to appear before the House Judiciary Committee to discuss the redacted portions of the Mueller Report he withheld from Congress. In fact, Barr has outright refused to testify.
Now, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, the Democratic chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Elijah Cummings, the Democratic chairman of the US House Oversight Committee, have each had enough of the obstruction and are preparing to use the full powers of Congress to right this wrong.
“President Trump and Attorney General (William) Barr are now openly ordering federal employees to ignore congressional subpoenas and simply not show up — without any assertion of a valid legal privilege,” Cummings said in a statement.
“This is a massive, unprecedented, and growing pattern of obstruction,” he added, warning federal employees to “think very carefully about their own legal interests” if they refuse to comply with an order from Congress.
Once again acting as if he’s an omnipotent dictator instead of an elected official with oversight, Donald Trump has threatened to resist each and every subpoena from House Democrats investigating his administration. He’s also proven he has no clue how the law works by threatening to go to the Supreme Court if Democrats ever dared to impeach him.
Trump is so hell-bent on keeping his financial records hidden that he recently filed a lawsuit to block a congressional subpoena of his accounting firm. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin missed a deadline to turn over Trump’s tax returns to lawmakers. Also, the former head of White House personnel security ignored a subpoena ordering him to appear for a deposition about overriding recommendations to deny security clearances.
Then, William Barr not only dismissed a request from the House Judiciary Committee to interview an official involved in the administration’s decision to add a citizenship question on the 2020 census, but he also refused to testify and answer questions before Congress regarding redactions in the Mueller Report.
These were not coincidental events, but rather clear indications that Donald Trump and William Barr have collectively adopted a strategy to commit obstruction and resist all oversight efforts by the House — acts that could land them both in contempt.
“The president is attempting to repeal a congressional power of oversight that goes back to the administration of George Washington,” said Charles Tiefer, a former House lawyer and current University of Baltimore law professor. “Congress can call witnesses about problems with the executive branch anytime. Otherwise, there is no check on whether the executive branch is doing the public’s work or just exercising raw power.”
He added: “the comprehensiveness and intensity of this presidential stonewalling” exceeded anything he had seen in his 40-year career.
For his part, Trump remained oblivious to the limits of his power and adamant to remain resistant.
“We’re fighting all the subpoenas,” Trump gleefully told reporters outside The White House. “These aren’t, like, impartial people. The Democrats are trying to win 2020.”
“I thought after two years we’d be finished with it,” Trump added, regarding the special counsel investigation. “No. Now the House goes and starts subpoenas. I say it’s enough.”
Despite his glaring lack of respect for and knowledge of the law, Donald Trump and his biased attorney general, William Barr, are both about to learn an extremely valuable lesson. Their rebellion against the powers of Congress has ramifications, and their continued defiance will come at a cost.
“Trump is so hell-bent on keeping his financial records hidden that he recently filed a lawsuit to block a congressional subpoena of his accounting firm.” – DJ
Uh-huh. Because Trump knows darn well what those financial records will reveal…The.Truth. Which would be an absolute nightmare for the man. In an instant his whole corrupt and phony-azz world would come crashing down on him, his 3 oldest kids and Kushner.
“Despite his glaring lack of respect for and knowledge of the law, Donald Trump and his biased attorney general, William Barr, are both about to learn an extremely valuable lesson.” – DJ
Well we shall see.
And let me say this about Senate Dems who actually voted for Barr…….
Well before one vote was cast to appoint Barr Trump’s new A.G., pretty much Everybody and his brother knew Barr was nothing but a craven old Repub *tool* for Trump. In fact Barr made sure that -“as a sitting president” Trump knew he could count on Barr to save his sorry hide from being indicted.
[Attorney General nominee William Barr said Tuesday that he sees “no reason” to change the Justice Department guidelines that block a sitting president from being indicted. ] – Washington Times, Jan. 15, 2019
As A.G., an added bonus was Barr being in the perfect position to Cynically mislead the American public about the actual conclusion of Mueller’r report…while working to block the release of the full report altogether.
In short: Dems know darn well Barr was chosen to ride shotgun for Trump, even if it means obstruction, Dems should have expected this fight and darn sure better be prepared for it.
Trump is setting a bad practice that has to be stopped. He is basically trying to over ride the congress like he is some king but if he gets away with itt every president will try to do the same thing. Congress is there to be a watch dog and that is what they are doing. I hope the Dems back up all their words and hold everybody in contempt that try to ingore subpoenas and all that. That is going to be the only way to stop this mess. Then let the truth come out and let everybody see how Trump is a fraud from his bad taxes and all the other records he keeps trying to hide.
USA Today:
In a second lawsuit responding to a U.S. House investigation, President Donald Trump and three of his children have sued a pair of banks to prevent them from providing Trump family financial records to Congress pursuant to subpoenas.
While Democrats cast the lawsuit as another effort to thwart investigations of Trump’s activities, the president’s private attorneys said they are seeking to protect the “privacy rights” of the president and his family.
Democratic subpoenas “seek information going back decades from anyone with even a tangential connection to the President, including children, minors and spouses,” said the statement from Trump attorneys Will Consovoy, Patrick Strawbridge and Marc L. Mukasey.
Trump and three children – Ivanka, Eric, and Donald, Jr. – are suing Deutsche Bank and Capital One. In the lawsuit filed late Monday in New York City, Trump asked the court to declare the subpoenas invalid and prevent the banks from complying with the congressional orders.
The complaint is the latest in a series of disputes between the White House and congressional Democrats over investigations targeting the president. Trump last week filed a federal lawsuit to block the Democratic-controlled House from obtaining financial records from his business’ longtime accountant.