House GOP gives inquisition powers to unelected staff.

[theeedude]

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/...s-staff-broader-new-powers-to-grill-witnesses

A little-noticed provision approved Tuesday by the U.S. House dramatically expands the powers of committee staff to haul private citizens and government officials to Capitol Hill to be questioned under oath -- without any lawmakers present, in some cases.

Now unelected congressional staffers can haul private American citizens in to question them under oath. Welcome to "Great America."

 

[Jaskalas]

Questioned under oath without any lawmaker present....
I oppose this farce.

If someone is to be stolen from their family, their home, and their work, they must needs face their assailant.
Accountability and transparency demands presence.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

What color are their shirts?

 

[Victorian Gray]

What color are their shirts?

And where were they made?

 

[brycejones]

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/...s-staff-broader-new-powers-to-grill-witnesses


Now unelected congressional staffers can haul private American citizens in to question them under oath. Welcome to "Great America."

The only answer in that scenario is to invoke the 5th amendment.

 

[boomerang]

Ah, so the leftists here want witnesses to game the system such that residents of Flint will have to continue drinking bad water. Good to know.


"But Republicans confirmed that the new rules package extends wider deposition authority to more committees. In the past, some witnesses tried to use members’ busy schedules to avoid being deposed, according to House Speaker Paul Ryan’s office. For the past two years, five panels had been granted the wider deposition power under a pilot program that is now being expanded, his office said.

A spokeswoman for the Rules Committee said the authority was used in the previous Congress several times, including by the Energy and Commerce Committee to obtain documents involving drinking water problems in Flint, Michigan."

 

[IronWing]

Ah, so the leftists here want witnesses to game the system such that residents of Flint will have to continue drinking bad water. Good to know.


"But Republicans confirmed that the new rules package extends wider deposition authority to more committees. In the past, some witnesses tried to use members’ busy schedules to avoid being deposed, according to House Speaker Paul Ryan’s office. For the past two years, five panels had been granted the wider deposition power under a pilot program that is now being expanded, his office said.

A spokeswoman for the Rules Committee said the authority was used in the previous Congress several times, including by the Energy and Commerce Committee to obtain documents involving drinking water problems in Flint, Michigan."

Congresscritters could take time off of their busy schedules of fund raisers and Koch briefings to do the jobs they were elected to do. If the issue isn't important enough for a Congresscritter to attend to then it isn't important enough for a subpoena. Clearly, those Congressionals didn't view the Flint water crisis as worthy of their time.

 

[Jhhnn]

Ah, so the leftists here want witnesses to game the system such that residents of Flint will have to continue drinking bad water. Good to know.


"But Republicans confirmed that the new rules package extends wider deposition authority to more committees. In the past, some witnesses tried to use members’ busy schedules to avoid being deposed, according to House Speaker Paul Ryan’s office. For the past two years, five panels had been granted the wider deposition power under a pilot program that is now being expanded, his office said.

A spokeswoman for the Rules Committee said the authority was used in the previous Congress several times, including by the Energy and Commerce Committee to obtain documents involving drinking water problems in Flint, Michigan."

Documents & testimony aren't the same thing. Nice try, however.

 

[zinfamous]

You get what you vote for. This is what republican voters want in our country.

 

[pcgeek11]

The only answer in that scenario is to invoke the 5th amendment.

I agree.
They cannot "Make" you answer anything.

 

[theeedude]

This is same GOP House who thinks that their members are subject to too much ethics scrutiny.

 

[pcgeek11]

This is same GOP House who thinks that their members are subject to too much ethics scrutiny.

They do have one point in that an accuser should not be allowed to throw anonymous accusations around. The accused should be allowed to face his accuser.

I think that is the primary contention.

 

[Jhhnn]

They do have one point in that an accuser should not be allowed to throw anonymous accusations around. The accused should be allowed to face his accuser.

I think that is the primary contention.

Then the same should apply to people subpoenaed to testify.

 

[pcgeek11]

Then the same should apply to people subpoenaed to testify.

I say that you can plead the 5th if subpoenaed to testify.

How does being subpoenaed equal being accused of something. You are comparing apples and oranges.

 

[Jhhnn]

I say that you can plead the 5th if subpoenaed to testify.

How does being subpoenaed equal being accused of something. You are comparing apples and oranges.

When was the last time HOR Repubs questions weren't accusatory with a witness who did not willingly appear?

When the staff asks the prepared questions no particular member is accountable for them.

 

[pcgeek11]

When was the last time HOR Repubs questions weren't accusatory with a witness who did not willingly appear?

When the staff asks the prepared questions no particular member is accountable for them.

Subpoenaed to testify doesn't equal Accused. No matter how much you want to imply it.

And you can invoke the 5th no matter who is asking the questions.

 

[IronWing]

Subpoenaed to testify doesn't equal Accused. No matter how much you want to imply it.

And you can invoke the 5th no matter who is asking the questions.

Congress can choose to grant a witness immunity and compel testimony subject to a charge of contempt of Congress for failure to testify. That's how Congress generally conducts witch hunts.

 

[Jhhnn]

Congress can choose to grant a witness immunity and compel testimony subject to a charge of contempt of Congress for failure to testify. That's how Congress generally conducts witch hunts.

Congressional Repubs purposely don't grant immunity so that they can maintain controversy for political purposes. Witness the whole IRS flap.

 

[Jhhnn]

Subpoenaed to testify doesn't equal Accused. No matter how much you want to imply it.

And you can invoke the 5th no matter who is asking the questions.

Why in the world do you want to grant congress critters any more plausible deniability than they already have?

You're letting them wear the staff as a beard.

 

[IronWing]

Congressional Repubs purposely don't grant immunity so that they can maintain controversy for political purposes. Witness the whole IRS flap.

It was standard SOP for the House Un-American Activities Committee to grant immunity for some schmuck who happened to have some relationship with a target and then ream the shit out of them.

 

[pcgeek11]

Why in the world do you want to grant congress critters any more plausible deniability than they already have?

You're letting them wear the staff as a beard.

I never said I wanted to grant them anything. I simply stated that the obvious answer is to invoke the 5th. That is what I would do.

Another poster brought up the ethics commitee they wanted to gut and I pointed out that the main issue they had was as below:

" They do have one point in that an accuser should not be allowed to throw anonymous accusations around. The accused should be allowed to face his accuser.

I think that is the primary contention."

I never said I was in agreement of anything other than an accused should be able to face the accuser.

 

[superstition]

I think it's humorous that people actually are trying to pass off the 5th Amendment as being anything other than elite immunity in disguise.

Good luck using that as a regular person.

 

[pcgeek11]

Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

 

[superstition]

I didn't say it wasn't written down. You can file it next to the Ford pardon.

 

[pcgeek11]

I didn't say it wasn't written down. You can file it next to the Ford pardon.

It is a LAW that governs ALL Americans.