Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) hammered the Justice Department on Friday over a legal opinion it wrote backing the Treasury Department’s defiance of a House subpoena for President Trump’s tax returns.
“What is the President hiding in his tax returns? And since when does 'shall' mean 'unless it displeases Trump?'" the House Intelligence Committee chairman tweeted late Friday.
"And, perhaps more importantly: What will be left of DOJ’s independence and reputation for impartial justice after Barr? The answer? Very little,” he added.
The answer to Adam Schiff's question is obvious. Barr will be seen as a hero to the rule of law on the right, and an enabler to the President on the left. But the truth is that under most objective standards of these questions being asked and answered generically five or ten years ago, pretty much everyone would have been in agreement, because there was no President Trump.
Back then, nobody would have argued that an Attorney General could be compelled by Congress to turn over protected Grand Jury information of a DOJ investigation. Nobody would have argued that Attorney Client privilege could be set aside by means of a Congressional subpoena. Nobody would have believed that Congress would simply demand someone's tax returns, in order to release them to the public for political purposes.
Five or ten years ago, everyone would have agreed with Barr and nobody would have agreed with Schiff and Congress. That is simply an objective fact that has no real basis for argument, other than "but, but, but... it's Trump".
24 comments:
At the very least it's political posturing. At worse it is gross abuse of Congressional power.
Either way Democrats may pay a heavy price at the polls.
It may very well be shock and awe part duex.
Nobody would have believed that Congress would simply demand someone's tax returns, in order to release them to the public for political purposes.
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LOL
Rather, nobody would have argued that a presidential candidate would be so afraid of what his tax returns would reveal that he would refuse to follow long established precedent and release them.
schiff's a buffoon. he deserves mockery and nothing more.
you think he's fucked up now, wait until trump gets re-elected.
piss off pederast
James has no American values.
His tax returns are still sitting beneath Obama's college transcripts.
Dis anyone think Eric Holder was impartial?
Thought so.
Rather, nobody would have argued that a presidential candidate would be so afraid of what his tax returns would reveal that he would refuse to follow long established precedent and release them.
I strongly suggest that it would be just like it is today. Whichever Party was backing the Candidate who did not turn over his tax returns would defend it, while the opposition Party would throw a fit.
Just like Democrats defended Obama's decision not to turn over his transcripts, and Republicans threw a fit over it.
My question is how would people have viewed these question generically (without knowing which Party is which). I believe that there are a great many people who would be very reluctant to answer a question like this "without" knowing which Party was which...
But from a generic stance, Congress has no authority to order the DOJ to turn over protected materials, Congress has no authority to order any Attorney to break Attorney/Client privilege, and they have *no authority to release anyone's tax returns to the public.
I don't see how generically anyone should ever suggest that Grand Jury information is no longer secret, that Attorney Client privilege should be waived, and that tax returns can just be made public at the whim of Politicians.
I will maintain that had you brought this up five years ago, people would have thought you to be nuts to support such things.
* The only law that allows Congress to get someone's tax returns requires that they only view them in a private setting, and that those returns are not released to anyone outside of the private setting (without the permission of the party in question).
@GeorgePapa19
Two weeks after I exposed Italy’s role in spygate, Obama is heading to Italy today to meet with the former Italian prime minister who weaponized his intel assets against us. Keep focused, America. The real headlines are now coming out.
election interference????
Anonymous Myballs said...
His tax returns are still sitting beneath Obama's college transcripts.
heh.
i know how trump made his money. i'm much more interested in the tax returns of a congressman or senator who showed up in washington without a pot to piss in and now is a multi-millionaire.
there's one in the northeast i have in mind. never worked a day in his life, never held down a job outside of government, and he now owns three homes and is worth in the millions of dollars. his wife bankrupted a small college by fraud, and walked off with a quarter million $$$ severance.
James has no American values."
Exactly, he is a Socialist.
James is an American who hates capitalism, and a Christian who apparently hates Christ. Hard to reconcile that.
James, Roger and Mrs. Denise will get a chance to go all in for a Socalist Democrat with their 2020 vote.
I hate neither capitalism (except the corrupt Boss Tweed kind)
nor Jesus of Nazareth when honestly considered.
I didn't know Ch regards him as the "Christ," that is to say, the "Messiah," the "Anointed" [One].
Strange belief for an atheist.
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To find out what I really believe, go to www.TheDeadSeaGospel.com and look at the information there..
Trump loves Putin's form of "captitalism" (corrupt, worse than fascistic, dictatorial).
After criticizing Obama, Trump refused and still refuses to let us see his own college transcripts.
Tax returns are far more revealing, and would be far, far more damaging and important.
go away pedo
I hate neither capitalism (except the corrupt Boss Tweed kind)
Tweed practice a form of crony socialism where he used the corrective power of government to enrich himself.
That is the purist form of socialism there is.
And all your actions says you approve of such people.
In order to be Christian you have to believe in the divinity of Christ with all your heart.
James is no Christian and should be defrocked.
Dennis, Roger and pedo James are posting nothing of value.
Trump's head is exploding!
.@FoxNews Polls are always bad for me. They were against Crooked Hillary also. Something weird going on at Fox. Our polls show us leading in all 17 Swing States. For the record, I didn’t spend 30 hours with @abcnews, but rather a tiny fraction of that. More Fake News @BretBaier
His own polls show he is trailing Biden and others by a significant percentage!
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1140768516288782336?s=19
KDJune 18, 2019 at 12:39 PM
New Polling Puts Trump up over Dems.
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