In the middle of an impeachment trial in which Donald Trump is accused of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, the Trump administration is brazenly abusing its power, flouting a court order, and ignoring Congress. Just this week, the administration deported an Iranian student against a judge's express order, and defied a congressional order to turn over a report.
Late Monday night, Customs and Border Patrol deported Shahab Abadi, a 24-year old Iranian citizen studying at Northeastern University, despite a federal judge's order blocking his deportation. CPB claims it didn't know about the order, and the judge has to just let it go, or is choosing to, because now that Abadi is out of the country, there's no longer a case. The administration is getting way with it. So far, it’s also getting away with seemingly arbitrarily using national security as a bogus excuse to justify Trump's tariffs, and refusing to show Congress its evidence even after Congress ordered that it be turned over.
The administration says it has a secret report declaring some imported cars are a national security risk. Yes, cars. Because some imported cars and trucks were "weakening our internal economy" and thus pose a national security threat. That's really what is argued in this report (if it truly exists, and that has been in question because this is the Trump administration we're talking about). Congress included a provision demanding that the administration turn over the report in the spending bill passed at the end of last year.
The administration might not be turning over that report because it does not exist, which is as likely as anything. But that's not the point. The point is the administration says there is a report and because it says the law doesn't matter, it doesn’t have to turn it over to Congress even though Congress ordered it. The Commerce Department argued in its memo refusing to comply that it is "not releasing the 232 autos report because releasing it now would interfere with the President’s ability to protect confidential executive branch communications and could interfere with ongoing negotiations," and says it has a Justice Department opinion that backs it up.
This has two Republican senators supposedly hopping mad. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania says "the Department of Commerce is willfully violating federal law" and he is "evaluating the potential for corrective action to compel the rightful release of this report." Chuck Grassley of Iowa says the Justice Department memo "doesn't seem to have much merit on its face. The law as passed by Congress is clear."
If they wanted to send a message to the administration, and to Trump, that he is not above the law, they've got a very ripe opportunity right now. But I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for them to take it.