It’s been over a month now and Rep. Neal hasn’t filed any court proceedings to challenge Mnuchin’s lawbreaking. Complete silence on filing to acquire Trump’s taxes. Neal has already refused to accept NY state’s offer of turning over Trump’s taxes which would hold a great deal of the info they’re supposedly looking for. Neal had to literally be browbeaten by activists for three months before he even started this process. During the midterms Pelosi tweeted that Congress would have his taxes in a matter of days upon taking the House . So ? What’s going on ?
Lots of speculation. One theory is Pelosi told Neal to drop it because she’s afraid Trump will ignore a court order to turn them over, thereby forcing her hand to impeach. That’s the last thing Pelosi wants. rewire.news/…
The tax return issue was the canary in the coal mine, the earliest indicator that Pelosi may not be the leader we need in this moment of crisis.
It is 38 days since Mnuchin finally rejected Neal’s request, 34 days since Neal issued a subpoena for the tax returns, and 27 days since Mnuchin rejected the subpoena.
Neal has neither gone to court to enforce his subpoena nor sought a court order to enforce the underlying statutory authority of his committee—and there is no reason he has not yet done both, or couldn’t have done each before the end of January.
At every turn Pelosi has allowed Neal to delay, and we’re no further along in getting Trump’s tax returns than we would have been had Neal made the request on January 3
Stephanie Murphy, the Democratic co-chair of the conservative Blue Dog Coalition, gave away the game when she posted her thoughts on impeachment on her website in late May: “Should President Trump or anyone in his Administration ignore a final federal court order to turn over information that Congress has requested, I would consider it a threat to our careful system of checks and balances and would therefore support an impeachment inquiry on that individual
Ross Garber is the nations leading impeachment lawyer who teaches at Tulane U. He recently wrote an article where he said the “investigation” into Trump was basically a scam ploy by Democrats.
www.thedailybeast.com/…
The full House of Representatives also declined to hold McGahn in contempt but instead passed a resolution authorizing the committee to go ask a judge to order McGahn to testify. The committee has yet to file any lawsuit but has threatened that one is coming soon.
But even if the committee files a lawsuit, it is likely to be an empty gesture.
So, if the Judiciary Committee won the litigation, McGahn would have to appear, but he could decline to answer questions based on executive privilege. And then the litigation process would begin anew. This is a slow track to nowhere.
So back to the question of whether the Judiciary Committee’s display of impotence is intentional. I surmise that it is.
So let’s consider another possibility: this is all intentional. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly stressed, both privately and publicly, that she does not want the Judiciary Committee undertaking an impeachment inquiry.
Ross Garber practices law in Washington, D.C. and teaches political investigations and impeachment law at Tulane Law School. He has represented four U.S. governors in impeachment proceedings.
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Another possibility is good old Dem cowardice and unending desire to cater to republicans like Feinstein and Durbin. Here’s Feinstein and Durbin’s take on E. Jean Carroll accusing Trump of rape. Imagine, these are US senators saying this about a private citizens rape accusations. It’s beyond the pale.
.@SenatorDurbin: "I wouldn’t dismiss it, but let’s be honest, he's going to deny it & little is going to come of it"
@SenFeinstein: “It’s not particular new news, so I don’t know...I don’t think we need to take action”
If Pelosi comes out after Mueller testifies on the 17th and tamps down impeachment talk, you’ll have your answer whether thay have any intention of holding Trump accountable.