Posted on 06/19/2017 1:45:53 PM PDT by upbeat5
Sharyl Attkisson: Some people might think this is a great time to be a Republican Chairman of an important committee because Republicans control the House, they’re the majority in the Senate, and they hold the president’s office. That means, you would think, that federal agencies can’t stonewall investigations of spending, waste, fraud, and abuse.
Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah: The reality is, sadly, I don’t see much difference between the Trump administration and the Obama administration. I thought there would be this, these floodgates would open up with all the documents we wanted from the Department of State, the Department of Justice, the Pentagon.
In many ways, it’s almost worse because we’re getting nothing, and that’s terribly frustrating. And with all due respect, the Attorney General has not changed at all. I find him to be worse than what I saw with Loretta Lynch in terms of releasing documents and making things available. I just, that’s my experience, and that’s not what I expected.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailysignal.com ...
Well Jason what the heck are you investigating. You may not have documents because there aren’t any
Bkmrk.
There is a difference. It’s just that it is not as much as most people think, fear or hope.
I compare it to a car with a front end out of alignment. You fight the wheel to keep it in a straight line. Maybe the car wants to go left, so you pull right to keep it straight. Or maybe it’s the other way around.
But the bottom line is that if you let go of the wheel, it doesn’t careen off the road. It just slightly goes off to the side. i.e. the left and right may be fighting, sometimes hard, but in reality, whichever party is in power, things really don’t change much because, truth be told, their goals are not that much different.
“Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah: The reality is, sadly, I don’t see much difference between the Trump administration and the Obama administration.”
Could that be because the Establishment, Democrats and Republicans, are still in charge in both houses and are determined that the people’s choice, Pres. Trump, will not succeed?
Perhaps if there weren’t so many closet-democrats among the Republicans in Congress.
Trump can't get the DOJ and FBI to do anything except hector him - how can Chaffetz gig him for that.
So he leaves in a lurch, serving what purpose.
If it doesn't make sense, then it's a lie! ~ Judge Judy
The point is Trump is being influenced by people who don’t really want change.
Rex is NOT the guy to be leading State.
Ivanka and Jerad have too much liberal influence.
Justice has recused itself into obscurity.
Pence believes the Global Warming lie.
The House and Senate have no leadership and would rather fight Trump than save America.
These high horse GOP idiots and thier investigative committee carnivals that GO NO WHERE! we are tired of you. Fast and furious, emails, IRS, on and on and on and no one is persecuted no one goes to jail and they go home thinking they did something
All true. Also McMaster is scary, Powell is evil, and Mattis isn’t any help either.
They went for a GOPe/Democrat WH and we’re all gonna pay for it.
bkmk
Cry me a river you lying POS Chaffetz, if you or anyone else in the Congress would actually start acting like MEN, you could fix all these problems post haste. You would also need to Replace the Speaker with a Real American Man in order to accomplish anything substantial.
Congress has ALL the power in washington, the executive and judicial branch operate according to the whims of CONGRESS!
“U.S. CODE
TITLE 2—THE CONGRESS
CHAPTER 6—CONGRESSIONAL AND COMMITTEE PROCEDURE; INVESTIGATIONS
Sec. 193. Privilege of witnesses
No witness is privileged to refuse to testify to any fact, or to produce any paper, respecting which he shall be examined by either House of Congress, or by any joint committee established by a joint or concurrent resolution of the two Houses of Congress, or by any committee of either House, upon the ground that his testimony to such fact or his production of such paper may tend to disgrace him or otherwise render him infamous.”
Simply look up Hinds Precedents, especially chapters 53 and 51, and Cannon’s Precedents, especially chapters 184-185. You’ll find numerous detailed cases of Congress asserting its power, arresting people, holding them until they agreed to answer questions, and then releasing them. Some of these people did not refuse to appear, but simply failed to satisfactorily answer questions. One has to wonder how a previous Congress might have responded to Alberto Gonzales’s endless recitations of “I do not recall.”
Congress can Remove the President
Congress can remove the head of every executive agency Congress can remove ALL of their employees
Congress can Abolish every agency they so choose
Congress can remove EVERY JUDGE IN AMERICA, including every supreme court justice.
Congress can abolish every federal court except the supreme Court
Congress can decide which cases the Judicial Branch can hear and decide
CONGRESS can Imprison ANYONE they want for any reason they so desire for as long as they wish.
Congress can declare WAR
No other governing body has even 10% of the power CONGRESS has!!
CONGRESS IS ALLOWING ALL OF IT!!!
Congress has the authority to arrest and imprison those found in Contempt. The power extends throughout the United States and is an inherent power (does not depend upon legislated act)
If found in Contempt the person can be arrested under a warrant of the Speaker of the House of Representatives or President of the Senate, by the respective Sergeant at Arms.
Statutory criminal contempt is an alternative to inherent contempt.
Under the inherent contempt power Congress may imprison a person for a specific period of time or an indefinite period of time, except a person imprisoned by the House of Representatives may not be imprisoned beyond adjournment of a session of Congress.
Imprisonment may be coercive or punitive.
Some references
[1] Joseph Story’s Commentaries on the Constitution, Volume 2, § 842 http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/print_documents/a1_5s21.html
[2] Anderson v. Dunn - 19 U.S. 204 - “And, as to the distance to which the process might reach, it is very clear that there exists no reason for confining its operation to the limits of the District of Columbia; after passing those limits, we know no bounds that can be prescribed to its range but those of the United States.” http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/19/204/case.html
[3] Jurney v. MacCracken, 294 U.S. 125 http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/294/125/case.html 73rd Cong., 78 Cong. Rec. 2410 (1934) https://archive.org/details/congressionalrec78aunit
[4] McGrain v. Daugherty, 273 U.S. 135 - Under a warrant issued by the President of the Senate the Deputy to the Senate Sergeant at Arms arrested at Cincinnati, Ohio, Mally S. Daugherty, who had been twice subpoenaed by the Senate and twice failed to appear. http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/273/135/case.html
[5] Rules of the House of Representatives, Rule IV Duties of the Sergeant at Arms - [] execute the commands of the House, and all processes issued by authority thereof, directed to him by the Speaker. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/HMAN-105/pdf/HMAN-105-pg348.pdf
[6] An analysis of Congressional inquiry, subpoena, and enforcement http://www.constitutionproject.org/documents/when-congress-comes-calling-a-primer-on-the-principles-practices-and-pragmatics-of-legislative-inquiry/
In 1857, a New York Times reporter refused to say which members of Congress had asked him to get them bribes (protecting his “sources” just as various Judith Millers today protect the people who feed them proven lies that costs thousands of lives), so Congress locked him up until he answered and then banned him from Congress.
In 1924 an oil executive appeared but refused to answer certain questions, so the Senate held — literally held — him in contempt. Senator Thomas Walsh of Montana argued that this question of contempt was of the gravest importance, and that it involved “the very life of the effective existence of the House of Representatives of the United States and of the Senate of the United States.” The matter was taken to court, and the witness fined and imprisoned.
Agreed
IMO Chaffetz has been blackmailed or threatened and, not having the guts to stand up to intimidation, is bowing out.
Ain't happening here because Trump has no clue on how government in the bureaucracies work and the right kind of top and appointive positions to fill. This is the worst presidential personnel operation I have ever seen. Having started with Reagan and going through seven additional administrations, I have seen them all.
You can’t blame Congress for Trump's lack of knowledge and non use of the appointive powers he has.
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