Posted on 05/24/2019 4:27:57 AM PDT by Kaslin
When House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler and Speaker Nancy Pelosi claimed that the United States had been plunged into a "constitutional crisis," a large swath of the media took to plying this fantasy for them.
"Ever wonder what a constitutional crisis looks like? Well, open your eyes," CNN's Don Lemon explained to his viewers. "The president of the United States is just blowing right through our system of checks and balances, the very thing that is supposed to keep our Congress, the judiciary, and the executive branch working, which means our country working."
None of this is remotely true. Our checks and balances are working exactly as they should. Congress is free to make perpetual demands for information and testimony, and threaten the White House with contempt charges and impeachment when it doesn't get its way. The White House, in turn, is free to assert executive privilege and decline to hand over that information or give testimony.
Both the legislature and the executive branches have the option of asking the judiciary to weigh in on the matter. It's not as if Donald Trump is blatantly ignoring the courts, as his predecessor often did. If voters disagree, they have the option of punishing elected officials by voting against them. If the legislature disagrees, it has an even more forceful solution available, and that's impeachment.
History didn't begin in 2016. Every modern president has asserted executive privilege. Attorneys general have been cited for contempt on much firmer grounds. Former attorney general Janet Reno was found in contempt in 1998 for refusing to turn over memos about Bill Clinton's campaign finances.
In 2012, Eric Holder became the first U.S. attorney general in history to be held in both criminal and civil contempt after refusing to hand over memos detailing his knowledge about the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' disastrous and bloody gunrunning scheme. Nadler knows this, because he joined a Democratic Party walkout protesting the Holder vote.
Yet no Obama administration official was arrested. There were no impeachments. TV anchors didn't unsheathe melodramatic monologues about the corrosion of law and the end of democracy.
Moreover, contra Lemon, there's no cover-up. After accurately describing the bottom line of the Mueller report, Barr released it, and now every American can read the results of a two-year, open-ended, independent investigation that, despite its best efforts, eviscerated the panic-stricken Russia collusion conspiracies of the left and political media.
The attorney general, in fact, has given Democrats access to all but two full and seven partial lines of Volume II (the op-ed section of the report) -- or, as the Department of Justice put it, more than 98 percent of the entire 448-page report.
For two-plus years, Democrats and their allies took advantage of a cooked-up conspiracy theory, and used the subsequent investigation as cover to disparage their opponents as traitors and spineless enablers -- not only crowding out useful debate of the Trump presidency but fueling an emotionalist argument that confuses "attacks on democracy" with "not getting my way." Now, they've merely transferred those hysterics to another manufactured drama.
The same people who never met a constitutional amendment they didn't want to weaken or destroy will now act as if a middling procedural showdown is the next Watergate. Mainstream media stories about Nadler's fishing expeditions have already framed Democrats as stewards of law and order, forced into impeachment by inflexible Republicans.
The intelligence committee's Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., has maintained for years that he has incontrovertible evidence of the administration colluding with Russia. Pelosi has claimed on numerous occasions that Trump engaged in criminal behavior. It's so bad, she recently argued, that the president is "self-impeachable," whatever that means.
It's one thing for Congress to run forever investigations, which have become the norm in Washington. It's another to spend two years -- and possibly six, if Trump wins in 2020 -- using congressional power to create bogus "constitutional crises" that continue to corrode genuine checks and balances.
It's difficult to believe anyone really thinks impeachment is a good idea after an independent investigation blew up the Russiagate conspiracy. But Democrats run the House. They have the votes to get it done. According to their own rhetoric, they have duty to impeach no matter what the Senate does. An impeachment proceeding that compels Democrats to lay out their case would be far preferable to this show trial -- what The Wall Street Journal editorial page dubbed "The Pseudo-Impeachment."
Let's do it already.
Put up or shut up, Nancy.
L
Yes there IS a constitutional crisis. It emanates from the House but is everywhere in DC thanks to the 5th columnists in the media.
The solution is to arrest those who are defiling the constitution start with Nan in the house and all those little Muslim/communists who ply their conspiracy for a coup, there. Next those in the media who purposely are slandering the President with made up bullcrap.
...CNN’s Don Lemon explained to his viewers...
What viewers?
A decade late on that pronouncement!
As said elsewhere, “Urinate or get off the pot.”
Nancy, this is taking FAR too long, and on the basis of - what? You don’t like Donald J. Trump?
President Trump, throughout his life, has been most fortunate in selecting his enemies, or rather, his enemies have selected him to try to launch an attack, to which he counterpunches with a particular ferocity, at which point, they KNOW they have been punched.
Nancy, you have not chosen well. You do not argue with a true force of nature.
If we get to November 2020....with no impeachment, then what was this all about for four years? I think they need to proceed, with a marginalized charge or two....let the Senate tell them there’s no cause for this, and just let it end. The fact that they talk about this, but there is still not yet a single charge....means at least six more months of soap opera left to this.
It’s time someone dig up one charge on Pelosi, and attempt to remove her from office.
I think his mother watches him (no accounting for taste).
They are absolutely F*cked, and they know it.
DECLAS is here, and there is nowhere to run and hide.
The jig’s up.
Put up or shut up, Nancy.
Fixed 'em both...
I think post November 2020 is time for Trump to cross the Rubicon.
Wow! CNN Ratings are WAY DOWN, record lows. People are getting tired of so many Fake Stories and Anti-Trump lies. Chris Cuomo was rewarded for lowest morning ratings with a prime time spot - which is failing badly and not helping the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon!
11:19 PM · May 23, 2019
“...will now act as if a middling procedural showdown is the next Watergate.”
Everything is the next “Watergate” to these people. What was Watergate? Nothing but the greatest hood winking of America by its Liberal Media that ever occurred. The Media keeps wanting to go back and relive the thrill.
Congress is not about fixing any problems.
In ract, they like to create issues so they can have more things to not fix, just complain about.
Congress loves to try to fix the blame though.
The problem for Nancy with impeachment is:
1. Do they do pseudo-impeachment where they yammer about it for the next 18 months without actually engaging in formal proceedings? OR
2. Do they go into formal impeachment proceedings?
If they do 1., then at election time a large swath of voters will see them as do-nothings, especially with Trump pointing it out to them.
If 2., then they can bring up charges, but there is no one who believes the Senate will convict. In this case, Trump benefits from the sympathy vote. I say this based on Clinton’s impeachment … I believe he benefitted from not being found guilty.
I suspect they will do 1., constantly keeping it in the news and placating their rabid rabble, but not actually doing anything.
Who's giving the orders??? I'd say Obama....which accounts for his silence....and of course Hillary's henchman.....aka....Obama's judges.
A massive conspiracy to take down a President.
No, they don’t have the votes.
Congress is free to investigate Trump.
And Trump is free to nominate, and get Senate confirmation of, DOJ officials who will investigate Congressmen, their staff, and families, over bribery and corruption. See who comes up with more stuff.
Good analysis
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