Executive privilege starts at birth
Meanwhile in areas a little bit away from gunshots, Steve Bannon is trying to convince the House Intelligence committee that “executive privilege” extends retroactively, as if Trump were surrounded by a penumbra of executivityhood for months or years or even decades before he actually took office, and thus that anyone he plotted with at any point within that penumbra had a privilege of not saying anything to pesky House committees no matter how hard they asked.
House Republican leaders are weighing “further steps” to force former top White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon to answer investigators’ questions in their probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 election — including potentially declaring him in contempt of Congress — after a Thursday interview they called “frustrating.”
Bannon came to speak with the House Intelligence Committee under a subpoena the panel issued on the spot last month, when he refused to answer questions related to the transition period and his tenure in the White House. On Thursday, Bannon presented panel members with a list of 25 questions that he would be willing to answer from that time period. But according to the panel’s top Democrat, Rep. Adam B. Schiff (Calif.), the questions had all been “literally scripted” by the White House, and his answer to all of them was “no.”
He’s there under a subpoena but he thinks he gets to tell them what questions he will and won’t answer. He must think Trump is a monarch, and an absolute one at that.
When the committee tried to push Bannon to answer questions that were not on his list, he repeatedly told members that the White House had not authorized him to engage on those queries.
Neither did the pope, I daresay; so what?
Bannon’s return to the committee was scheduled and delayed three times while the White House hammered out the terms of the interview with the House counsel. On Wednesday night, the White House sent the committee a letter outlining its argument for why executive privilege could apply to the transition period, according to panel members. But lawmakers said that letter was not a formal invocation of executive privilege, and they continue to reject the premise that privilege can apply to the transition period, when Trump was not in the Oval Office.
One would hope so. He wasn’t the executive then, so what privilege would he expect to have?
Panel members on both sides of the aisle also stressed that Bannon could not cite nonexistent privilege as an excuse to avoid their questions.
“That’s not how privilege works,” Schiff said. “That’s how stonewalling works.”
One would hope so, but these crooks will try anything.
The House Intelligence Committee’s Russia probe has long been plagued by partisan divisions. But Bannon’s fight with the panel has drawn Democrats and Republicans together in a rare common cause, as they seek to make sure the White House’s efforts to protect Bannon do not erode the power of a congressional subpoena — something that could have “deep implications for any investigation Congress may conduct in the future,” Schiff said.
Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) led the panel last month in pushing Bannon to answer all of its questions and ultimately deciding to issue him a subpoena. Now several Republicans say that holding Bannon in contempt, if he does not cooperate with their interview, will be necessary to send a message to this and future administrations that they cannot blithely ignore congressional subpoenas and other oversight.
They’ve been wannabe authoritarians all along.
Sub poena means, iirc, under penalty. Lock him up already.
Well, that’s what Trump thinks, so he would naturally surround himself with other people who think the same way.
I also suspect most of Trump’s voters think that, too. They don’t remember a thing from 7th grade civics.
Again, I quote this attorney and professor of journalism and legal advocacy:
” Now several Republicans say that holding Bannon in contempt, if he does not cooperate with their interview, will be necessary to send a message to this and future administrations that they cannot blithely ignore congressional subpoenas and other oversight.”
It would have been nice if Republicans had remembered sooner that they were vertebrates. They’ve already normalized or acquiesced to so much abominable behaviour from Trump it’s kinda late in the game to be crying foul now. It’s clear that they’re now upset about their own prerogatives and power being infringed upon rather than their country being burned to the ground as they had enthusiastically applauded the Arsonist in Chief and kept him well supplied with matches.
That’s because they’ve already normalized or acquiesced to so much abominable behavior from Republicans in general. And I’m not just talking about their brutal policies in terms of cutting off benefits, etc. That’s just being Republican these days. No, I’m referring to the voter suppression tactics, the nastiness from right wing talk show hosts, the normalization of Fox News worldviews, the acceptance of the ridiculous stance of the NRA, and the things they’ve done to ensure the ability of Republican presidents to pack the courts by holding up appointees made by Democratic presidents. They’ve also been in bed with the Koch brothers and the Walton family for a long time. They’ve catered to the nastiest sentiments of the religious right viz-a-viz women, minorities, and LGBTQ. They have demonized immigrants. They have demonized everyone.
And that’s just what they do before breakfast. Once breakfast is over, they can really get started.
Maybe they resent being out-Republicaned by an outsider and rank amateur.
Interesting. Reports are that he was cooperative with Mueller–at least, word is he answered all their questions.
I would’ve thought he’s all through with trying to protect Trump, but of course he may be trying to protect himself.
Lady M,
The best explanation I’ve heard for that seeming contradiction (stonewalling Congress while answering Mueller’s questions) is that Bannon knows that the Congressional committee leaks like a sieve to the White House. Whatever he tells them, even if in classified non-public hearings or staff interviews, will immediately be relayed to the White House. Whereas Mueller runs a pretty tight ship.
I think Bannon’s priorities are, in order:
1. Protect Steve Bannon.
2. Avoid pissing off Rebecca Mercer and other conservative donors upon whom he relies for $$$.
3. Protect his cause of his populist, nationalist, drain-the-swap revolution.
4. Protect Trump.
Screechy–and after their big fall out, “protect Trump” may have dropped off the list.
If you or I did tried something like this in a local court, the judge would slap us in jail until we wised up. It’d be the same if we tried it in front of the people Bannon is trying it on. Why isn’t he in jail?