Trump Asserts Executive Privilege Over Full Mueller Report

[cytg111]

I think Kavanaugh and the Thomas would be turncoats in a heartbeat, but not Gorsuch. There are things about the man I dislike but I will always remember how he risked his nomination by calling out Trump and his comments regarding "That Mexican judge", which was surprisingly harsh. As a conservative in what is now a mostly obsolete sense, he would most likely understand the enormity of Trump's actively subverting Constitutional rule as well as the principle of co-equal branches.

I've been wrong before so I might be wrong but if I had to bet I would take Gorsuch being unhappy with this farce foisted upon us all.

This has always been heading to SC and impeachment .. I cant fathom that actors WOULDNT have acquired, or at least tried to acquire, kompromat on the SC. Look at how the Senate is behaving... it defies all logic unless you imagine their families tied up in a basement somewhere.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

As others have pointed out the Congress expressly gave themselves the power to obtain any tax return whatsoever and I'm the one opposing that on privacy grounds. Trump's obvious problems with the Emmoluments clause don't invalidate the larger point. Admittedly the Trump case WRT tax returns is the extreme end of the spectrum along the lines of the "would you torture a terrorist to prevent an attack even though the law and our moral code say torture is wrong" sorta deal but that's why the principle needs to be very carefully defended except in the very most emergency situations. ACORN's tax returns and probably everyone else in the country's should never typically qualify.

The solution is to have standing and take Congress to court over the matter. That is the ONLY proper path other than Congress creating new legislation to end it. You could, of course, choose reform by force of arms, but that's the least wise option.

 

[zinfamous]

I think Kavanaugh and the Thomas would be turncoats in a heartbeat, but not Gorsuch. There are things about the man I dislike but I will always remember how he risked his nomination by calling out Trump and his comments regarding "That Mexican judge", which was surprisingly harsh. As a conservative in what is now a mostly obsolete sense, he would most likely understand the enormity of Trump's actively subverting Constitutional rule as well as the principle of co-equal branches.

I've been wrong before so I might be wrong but if I had to bet I would take Gorsuch being unhappy with this farce foisted upon us all.

Even so, Roberts is pretty much the swing vote these days. I think it is virtually impossible for that man to ignore the dissolution of democracy set forth by this POTUS, much less allow himself to preside over the court that allowed it to happen.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

This has always been heading to SC and impeachment .. I cant fathom that actors WOULDNT have acquired, or at least tried to acquire, kompromat on the SC. Look at how the Senate is behaving... it defies all logic unless you imagine their families tied up in a basement somewhere.

I'm pretty sure most of the SCOTUS would refer this to the DOJ and Congress long ago. Can you imagine Putin pulling this on Ginsberg? He'd probably swallow his own polonium after she got done with him.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Even so, Roberts is pretty much the swing vote these days. I think it is virtually impossible for that man to ignore the dissolution of democracy set forth by this POTUS, much less allow himself to preside over the court that allowed it to happen.

My sense is that any court case will be heard on a lower court first which will almost certainly find against Trump, cite stare decisis, or refuse to hear the case itself and the DOJ is SOL. No lower court can void a higher's so it would have base a favorable decision for Barr on novel grounds to do an end run. Will a higher court let that go by? Not likely.

 

[hal2kilo]

Even so, Roberts is pretty much the swing vote these days. I think it is virtually impossible for that man to ignore the dissolution of democracy set forth by this POTUS, much less allow himself to preside over the court that allowed it to happen.

Who knows. Can the SCOTUS maintain legitimacy with one more stain on its decisions? cough 2000 election.

 

[Viper1j]

There you have it

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/08/us/politics/congress-contempt-barr.html

"
President Trump asserted executive privilege on Wednesday in an effort to shield hidden portions of Robert S. Mueller III’s unredacted report and the evidence he collected from Congress.

The assertion, Mr. Trump’s first use of the secrecy powers as president, came as the House Judiciary Committee is expected to vote Wednesday morning to recommend the House of Representatives hold Attorney General William P. Barr in contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena for the same material.

“This is to advise you that the president has asserted executive privilege over the entirety of the subpoenaed materials,” a Justice Department official, Stephen E. Boyd, wrote Wednesday morning, referencing not only the Mueller report but the underlying evidence that House Democrats are seeking.
"

- Game Over -

Arrrrrh ... its good to be The Loser King. In the land of the blind and all that.

Hearing just finished. They found Col Sanders.. I mean Attny Gen Barr in contempt.

 

[cytg111]

Hearing just finished. They found Col Sanders.. I mean Attny Gen Barr in contempt.

So now what? Sgt at Arms?

 

[zinfamous]

So now what? Sgt at Arms?

those 2nd amendment folks will be out any minute to defend the patriot William Barr.

 

[Zorba]

Not surprising you don't consider F&F to be criminal activity.

F&F, the only time Republicans have ever given a shit and who got their hands on assault rifles. True concern brought to you by the same people that hold pro-gun conventions down the street from mass shooting locations.

 

[Jhhnn]

So now what? Sgt at Arms?

A vote of the full House, referral to the DoJ & a lawsuit.

 

[cytg111]

A vote of the full House, referral to the DoJ & a lawsuit.

On the chance of sounding stupid here, what will a "referral to the DoJ" accomplish? ... And the lawsuit for that matter... Will he then be in double contempt? Subject for a pardon? Is the power not gone?

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

A vote of the full House, referral to the DoJ & a lawsuit.

To which the DOJ will laugh at and a lawsuit that may be dropped after 2020 for "the sake of unity and healing", because it's likely to drag on for years.

Or

The House can arrest those it cites for contempt and hold them for up to a year as well as take it to court and have the DOJ laugh at them, but perhaps not as loudly.

Will they? We don't know but there's a lot of talk by Congressional Democrats about using their powers in a real and material way apart and not talking about impeachment.

We'll find out. Who knows? Pelosi might sign on because as has been pointed out we really don't know what's in her mind.

 

[MomentsofSanity]

Well EP is bogus as Bill Clinton found out with Whitewater.

EP is improperly invoked as explained. Barr will be held in contempt.

Not only that has anyone pointed out yet that most of what’s in the report is from before Trump took office? He wasn’t the executive. There is no privilege.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Not only that has anyone pointed out yet that most of what’s in the report is from before Trump took office? He wasn’t the executive. There is no privilege.

Trump has decided on a confrontation at the SCOTUS. Whether he understands that or anything about it is in question, but he's asking for something that precedent suggests he does not want as happened with Nixon.

The question is if Trump would recognize the SCOTUS decision as binding or if he'll dump them into the bin as he is doing with Congress.

At that point, even Senate Republicans, at least enough to matter, have to vote to remove him from office. They love to screw with the Left and Dems but attacking the SCOTUS to the point that it might as well not exist? That's a whole other thing entirely. Trump may not comply but the SCOTUS will screw those who back him to no end.

 

[Jhhnn]

On the chance of sounding stupid here, what will a "referral to the DoJ" accomplish? ... And the lawsuit for that matter... Will he then be in double contempt? Subject for a pardon? Is the power not gone?

It's a necessary formality.

 

[Jhhnn]

double post

 

[brandonbull]

So, as a non-American, what are the limitations to this Executive Privilege? Is there no recourse when the president is clearly using it to try to block damaging material to himself? Could the press get hold of this through some sort of freedom of information thing?

He is stopping members of Congress trying to gain access to information they do not have legal access to. They want grand jury information and a judge has to unseal that. Just another nefarious tactic by the Democrats to abuse their power. Mueller didn't give them what they wanted so it's back to more conspiracy theories and mistruths.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

He is stopping members of Congress trying to gain access to information they do not have legal access to. They want grand jury information and a judge has to unseal that. Just another nefarious tactic by the Democrats to abuse their power. Mueller didn't give them what they wanted so it's back to more conspiracy theories and mistruths.

Here's a question. Can Congress have legal access to this material? Why or why not and "nefarious Democrats" isn't an answer nor anything like it. This is a matter of law and in making your statement you ought to be able to support your statement of no legal access by referring to judicial decisions recently made.

I know the answer and can provide the deciding factor. If you want to complain then do so from an educated perspective that does not rely on Barr, Trump nor Congress for that matter. Dead simple, but will you?

 

[VRAMdemon]

I'd love to see headlines that say "Trump Announces Guilt With Executive Privilege Claim"..lol

 

[brycejones]

He is stopping members of Congress trying to gain access to information they do not have legal access to. They want grand jury information and a judge has to unseal that. Just another nefarious tactic by the Democrats to abuse their power. Mueller didn't give them what they wanted so it's back to more conspiracy theories and mistruths.

Congrats you copy and pasted the talking points.

 

[dainthomas]

Not surprising you don't consider F&F to be criminal activity.

A bungled, poorly planned operation which had good intentions is a little different than stealing campaign money and interfering with investigations into you and your kid's shady self-serving activities.

 

[Jhhnn]

He is stopping members of Congress trying to gain access to information they do not have legal access to. They want grand jury information and a judge has to unseal that. Just another nefarious tactic by the Democrats to abuse their power. Mueller didn't give them what they wanted so it's back to more conspiracy theories and mistruths.

The DoJ has standing to request the release of such material. Surely it would only assist in the exoneration of our Great Leader.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

The DoJ has standing to request the release of such material. Surely it would only assist in the exoneration of our Great Leader.

In a hypothetical where the AG was uncertain what material could not be released from the GJ, the solution is painfully simple. Just petition a court to rule on the situation and clarify the matter for now and the future. This is why Barr is being cited for contempt, inserting his judgment over that of a court in the case of differing opinions between the AG and the House, an act of bad faith on his part and the effective obstruction of an investigation.

 

[BUTCH1]

Our country is being led by Nixon on bath salts.

Sadly, this is close to fact, he cannot even spell at the level of a middle-schooler.

 

[Muse]

- Game Over -

Arrrrrh ... its good to be The Loser King. In the land of the blind and all that.

Well, his name is Trump. Is executive privilege the trump card? Or does congress have a right to the full report. I so want that man to have his full comeuppance and publicly and very very soon.