Saturday, May 18, 2019

The White House takes another step toward putting Trump beyond accountability

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/05/15/white-house-takes-another-step-towards-putting-trump-beyond-accountability/?fbclid=IwAR1RyE3PRoLFQPuZ0GKlInweCAtfmzwJG9HbyMjfmCV9wLGXSfQZHSBtQ1c&utm_term=.82e3fca2544b
"As a Congressional Research Service report explains, one of the core functions of congressional oversight in the separation-of-powers scheme is to scrutinize the executive branch’s implementation of executive power as delegated by Congress. That’s exactly what the Judiciary Committee is doing. What’s more, as Jonathan Chait notes, the claim that Congress cannot legitimately look into such questions -- when placed alongside DOJ’s policy against indicting sitting presidents, and Barr’s declaration that presidents can close down DOJ investigations into himself for any reason whatsoever -- in effect places Trump above accountability and the law. Add to that Trump’s broader defiance of any and all oversight -- the administration’s breaking of the law in refusing to turn over Trump’s tax returns, and Trump’s vow to fight “all” subpoenas -- and the effort to place Trump beyond accountability becomes even more sweeping."