The Constitutional Crisis escalated Tuesday evening (or, perhaps Sleazebag General is getting panicky about tomorrow’s upcoming Contempt charge?), as Bill Bar — the nation’s lawless top law enforcer in the land — demands that the House cancel the contempt vote or else he will threaten to...use executive privilege to obstruct everything (um, wasn’t Trumpy already planning on doing that anyway?). According to Axios, Bill Barr sent House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler a letter Tuesday saying Attorney General Bill Barr would recommend President Trump assert executive privilege over the Mueller report if Wednesday's contempt vote isn't canceled, NBC News first reported:
So yea, your Constitutional Crisis has arrived. It does not matter if you are exhausted. The Constitutional Crisis Train has left the station and is moving at full speed. So...what leverage does the House of Representatives have over the Executive Branch obstructionists, other than filing contempt charges in court just to see the administration play slow walk through the courts to run the clock out past the next election? Well...this might get their attention:
House Dems already threatened no salaries for Commerce, Interior Officials who block interviews, DOJ officials can be added to the list www.axios.com/…
The House Oversight Committee on Tuesday threatened to withhold the salaries of officials at the departments of the Interior and Commerce if anyone "prohibits or prevents" interviews involved in 2 ongoing investigations.
"The Department does not appear to recognize that Congress is an independent and co-equal branch of government that will determine its own investigative steps without undue interference or delay by the i prDepartment."
— House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings letter to Cole Rojewski, DOI's director of congressional and legislative affairs
The backdrop:
- There has been an ethical investigation looking into alleged complaints about "conflicts of interest and other violations" in regard to Interior Department Secretary David Bernhardt, a former oil lobbyist.
- House Democrats are investigating the citizenship question the Department of Justice wants added to the 2020 Census, with opponents citing anti-immigration sentiments and political motivations from the Trump administration.
Details: Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings sent letters requesting transcribed interviews with 8 current and former officials. In his letter to Rojewski, Cummings detailed the numerous times the House committee has requested documents and interviews from the DOI. The requests have gone unanswered, or arbitrary unrequested documents were sent instead.
So anyway, get the popcorn out, this is only going to escalate and get way more ugly. Or, alternatively, get your passports ready in case you decide to check out other options and possibilities of finding another place to move to with an intact democracy if we can’t keep our Republic together in one piece.
"“Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy?”
“A Republic, if you can keep it.”
-Benjamin Franklin