So, Trump Is Going to Play the Executive Privilege Card

[MineralMan]

and keep staffers, both present and past, from testifying in Congressional hearings? That's how it looks today. Apparently, an executive order to that effect will be issued by Trump.

Richard Nixon tried that. The House called it another count of Obstruction of Justice and added it to the Articles of Impeachment.

Shortly thereafter, Nixon was forced to resign in shame.

Refusing to allow Executive Branch staff and directors to testify in hearings held by the Legislative Branch is the very model of Obstruction of Justice. It is a high, high crime and misdemeanor. That, in itself, is grounds for impeachment.

I hope the current House leadership remembers Richard Nixon and his Executive Privilege claims. I hope it acts on that basis. Congress is a separate and equal branch of government, under the Constitution. That should never be forgotten, nor neglected.

[beachbum bob]

1. he can't with the Mueller report as it all occurred before he was president, he can

with everything else and it will be court case after court case unless Pelosi stepe and plays hardball with trump and the GOP. Which she can

[MineralMan]

2. Speaker Pelosi knows what can be done. That's why

she was the right choice for Speaker. I believe she will act accordingly.

[beachbum bob]

6. totally agree and I am no Pelosi fan at all, but she is the smartest one in DC

[MineralMan]

31. I'm not a "fan" of any politician.

Pelosi knows her job better than anyone, though, so let her do what's best. That's my opinion.

[beachbum bob]

32. I was a fan of Obama when he first ran for the Senate and we met Michele, there are

politicians deserving our admiration and respect. Many do not

[Thekaspervote]

17. Absolutely! We need to trust in their years of experience

[samnsara]

29. i agree..i just hope she throws us a bone once in awhile as we are all hungry..

...for some red meat

[Cary]

41. Nancy Pelosi was the right choice

Absolutely.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

3. Say no to all his cuts to Social Security, Medicare, etc...

She has the power of the purse. He wants money for this and that, she can say NO.

No money for NO damn Wall.

[2naSalit]

4. He can't suddenly decide that

those who testified before the Mueller investigation are now, somehow not allowed to. The report has been released to the public and he has texted about having told people, like McGhan (sp?), from sitting before Congress now.

He may get away with it in some cases but not for anything in the "report" for one thing. His options are limited and hardball includes defunding everything idiot wants to do. There are a number of tools available because the law is not on the side of the traitor.

I'm sure the Speaker is on to his tactics and is far ahead of him being the astute master of all things Constitutional and Rule of Law oriented. I'll trust her on this. This is what she needs to be Speaker for, this right now.

[MineralMan]

7. He is apparently going to do that, though.

He is a moron.

[2naSalit]

12. One reason to hurry up and pack the courts...

and that's why he thinks his two buddies in the SCOTUS will help him, but that's only two, one or two of the others may not agree with his becoming emperor. He has been trying to set himself up such that he can sue everybody for everything, like he did as a private citizen, and make it stick because his mob judges are in place to okay everything. That's his fantasy anyway.

[misanthrope]

46. Exactly, another reason to drag out the hearings and investigative phase

We're only a week into the period after the Mueller report was released and Trump is already starting to supply more evidence, more possible charges. This long preliminary phase will only be more rope with which he can hang himself.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. Does he have any actual lawyers working for him any more?

Or did they all get their degrees from Jack's Auto Repair and Bait Shop School of Law? Has it occurred to them that it's pretty tough to assert executive privilege when you've already waived it by allowing the same people to be interviewed by Mueller's OLC? Or, even if they did get their degrees from Harvard or Yale and know how to find cases by looking them up in one of those big brown books, if not on the Internet, have they read United States v. Nixon lately? (In the event any of you sorry-ass Trump lawyers are reading this, the citation is 418 U.S. 683 (1974)).

The cat is already out of the bag and running loose, and now the House committees want to talk to it too.

[MineralMan]

8. But, Trump is an idiot, so he does idiotic things.

Speaker Pelosi is not an idiot, and she knows what to do. I hope she does it soon.

[PRETZEL]

10. Of course he's an idiot,

but he's only talking to those who have the same mindset, and that mindset seems to be dwindling daily.

It's now what, 37-38%

[erronis]

38. But it isn't just the idiot that is spouting this nonsense. It's his handlers that allow it.

Even his Snow Crash / fox screen that addles his pate isn't the source of the evil. Even Mordock, the owner of the WSJ and fux isn't the ultimate source.

There are some other more powerful players that are pulling the strings that make the dumper's digits twitch on his iphone and make his Charlie McCarthy mouth yabber up and down.

[spanone]

9. Already waived.....he missed that train long ago.

[lark]

11. He thinks he's subverted the Russian Repug SCOTUS and is not accountable under the law.

He does not recognize our constitution or equal branches of government. He thinks he' already turned the corner into making America a dictatorship of the oligarchs. I hope he is dead wrong.

[Freethinker65]

13. They freely testified to Mueller, there is no executive privilege to declare.

If the court sides with Trump, even very narrowly, Congress might as well disband because they are no longer relevant.

[Duppers]

30. THIS, this IS THE problem❗⬆⬆

Stacked, corrupt courts, especially the Supreme Court.

2020 is becoming as critical as 1860.

[jalan48]

14. Unfortunately, the rule of law is subject to change. Today's SCOTUS may change the rules.

[Texin]

18. Exactly. The rethugs seem to want to agree with him and that goes for the SCOTUS.

If you look at what's happening at the state legislature levels, the rethugs that control any state are trying to turn the clock back to the 19th century where only white males has any actual constitutional rights and they were in the clear majority of eligible voters, as non-white minorities and females were disenfranchised chattel. This may seem to be a non-sequitur to the topic, but tRump and this radical ideology fits their overall agenda, and they probably will back him up in his efforts to thwart impeachment, and his desire to declare the presidency a monarchy in perpetuity.

[jalan48]

20. Times are changing in radical ways and not for the good. Some think we can just go back to politics

as usual or some kind of normal from 20+ years ago. That horse has left the barn.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

28. Today's SCOTUS is conservative but they are not necessarily Trump loyalists -

even Gorsuch and Kavanaugh. Trump isn't even a true conservative; he just pretends to be to keep his cult happy but his ideology is nothing but self-interest. You can count on this court to decide in favor of corporations vs. individuals, to reject any expansion of individual rights and liberties, and to take an originalist view of the Constitution. But that doesn't mean they'll rule in Trump's favor if any of his personal or political controversies end up in front of them. In fact, an originalist approach to the Constitution would not help Trump at all. Roberts isn't nearly the partisan hack Rehnquist was, and even Rehnquist wouldn't have gone where Trump wants to go.

[jalan48]

34. You could be right but my belief is that the Court will have no problem protecting Trump.

Remember Bush vs Gore in 2000?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

36. Yes, and that was the Rehnquist court.

Believe me, Rehnquist was worse than Roberts.

[nini]

15. I keep thinking back to when Obama told Romney to 'Please Proceed'

I think Pelosi knows his ego will bury him and he's doing just that and putting it out there for the world to see.

He's proud of his obstruction when it comes down to it and ultimately that will be what sets up the case against him. They won't even need the Mueller report after he blows his top all over twitter.

[Nitram]

16. Claiming executive privilege will go nowhere. Mueller's report documents too much for the president

to get away with that. Even in the Supreme Court.

[dlk]

19. For Guys Who Play Dirty, Like Trump, He Will Use Anything and Everything to Win

Nothing is off limits for him.

[malaise]

21. Please proceed Don the Con

please please!

[erronis]

39. And I can see Nancy's hand clap after dump's speech in the background.

What a loser.

I bet even Fred wished he had pulled out a bit sooner.

[malaise]

42. You made my afternoon

[Dr Rise]

22. This dude doesn't have any shame, though ...

[BamaRefugee]

23. Took the words right out of my mouth.

[bigbrother05]

24. Guess he thinks Mueller has more power than Congress

Anyone that talked to the FBI or Grand Jury would have the same obligation to respond to the House committees.

If he didn't exercise it earlier he can't impose it now. Of course, he doesn't care if the whole bunch goes to jail for contempt.

[pdsimdars]

25. As Rachel Maddow said, all the people they called and the documents they subpoenaed

were things they had already given to Mueller. And once you wave exec privilege, it's been waved and you can't take it back.

[Duppers]

33. But Trump will try, will he not?

And will the decision have to go to the Supreme Court?

[Javaman]

26. "Shortly thereafter, Nixon was forced to resign in shame."

the orange asshole has no shame.

things are about to get some much more weirder than they already are.

[samnsara]

27. bush used it too i think, regarding Alberto Gonzalez somehow..?

[Moostache]

35. Worst. Human. Ever.

And it's not a close call...

Trump is the bile that wells up in your throat and makes you vomit when hung over.
He is the popcorn seed that buries itself in the very rear crevasses of your gums and won't come free.
He is the foul smelling pus oozing out of a gangrenous wound.
He is the disturbing scent of Staphylococcus Aureus - which I PRAY none know too familiarly...

I have never, ever loathed another human being with the intensity and depth that O hate that man and his kin. I would willingly watch him suffer any disgusting or heinous fate and I would make sure he could see the glee in my face while he writhed.

This clown needs to be stopped. This is not some low-level zoning commissioner or tax abatement he seeks...this is the separation of powers of the government of the United States of America. This is our entire system of governance at risk for the ego of one shell of a human being.

Fuck you Trump.
There are a minimum of 10 counts of obstruction of justice and 1 count of campaign finance violation already uncovered and awaiting trial for you. If the Democratic Party candidates are conscious at this point, they should be running on a platform of their ideas AND holding your failed ideology to task for the crimes you have already committed.

He won't go quietly, so I expect something melodramatic like a faked heart attack and "health-related" resignation before its all said and done....or who knows, maybe the universe will have some sense of humor and drop him dead of a massive stroke today. I pray for it EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

[erronis]

40. Wow. That's an awfully strong statement. And well deserved by the dumps and cohorts.

Still visceral hatred is something that us supposedly intelligent beings should try to control.

I'd be perfectly happy to have all of them along with a whole bunch or congress-critte(R)s spend the rest of their lives in some hell-hole prison.

Reminds me of "The King of Hearts" - the insane are in charge.

[C Moon]

37. I was thinking this morning that Trump may resign if the impeachment starts to get too ugly.

The GOPutin may want Pence to run rather than Trump for 2020.

[BootinUp]

43. Aye laddy, that appears to be the case. Nt

[pbmus]

44. By this time next year....

Mueller will be held in contempt for harassment of the great and powerful Big Con...

[Poiuyt]

45. Staffers will continue to stonewall until Congress jails someone

for contempt of congress. It's easy to be brazen when you think there are no consequences.