Now that it’s been made obviously clear that Hillary Clinton will not be running in the 2020 presidential election, the attention has fallen into the hands of the House Democrats. And as of right now, the House Democrats are defining themselves as the investigation party.
They clearly have other problems as well especially considering that their most left-wing members make them look like a bunch of socialists, while at the same time, they attempt to come up with a resolution that accurately condemns anti-Semitism while one of their freshman members is using inappropriate anti-Semitic slurs.
But neither one of those things is going to be at the center of everyone’s attention, especially while they’re issuing demands for information from 81 Trump World targets. Among these targets include former and current administration officials, people from his private businesses and foundations as well as members of his very own family.
Instead of issuing all of the requests at one time, Jerry Nadler, the House Judiciary chairman who is at the head of the investigation, could have spaced them out over a certain period of time. Now, it just seems as if he’s trying to spend the next two years tying President Trump up in legal warfare. But instead of giving things time, Nadler’s given the president a target to put on his head, as well as the heads of the other committee members who “have gone stone cold CRAZY. 81 letter[s] sent to innocent people to harass them.”
Trump described the outpouring of requests as “a disgrace to our country.” In an interview with Fox News Radio, Trump’s son Eric said: “We’re going to fight the hell out of it and we’ll fight where we need and we’ll cooperate where we need, but the desperation shows.”
This type of battle always goes the same way. Congress demands the documents or the testimony, and then the White House will delay, refuse to cooperate, or invoke the executive privilege. Then, the Hill will have to decide whether or not to pass a contempt-of-Congress citation and then ask the court to enforce it.
So, it’s pretty clear what actions President Trump will take. He’ll most likely resist many of the requests, then, he’ll claim presidential harassment and force the Democrats hand to take the next step, especially when it comes to his tax returns. The battle will drag on and most of the United States will just tune it out, assuming that it’s just typical political “stuff.”
It’s the responsibility of Congress to conduct oversight of the executive branch of government, despite the hypocrisies that lie within, but if the House Democrats don’t pass any bipartisan legislation, it will become easier for Trump to point out that they look like overly enthusiastic supporters.
According to the New York Times, Nadler has “opened perhaps the most perilous front to date for Mr. Trump — an inquiry that takes aim at the heart of his norm-bending presidency and could conceivably form the basis of a future impeachment proceeding.”
But, according to The Washington Post, the “far-reaching” request “cast a spotlight on the ambitious strategy of the committee with the authority to impeach a president.” The request was “broad” rather than “targeted,” and “the extensive scope could bolster claims by Trump and Republicans that congressional Democrats are seeking to undermine the president and cripple his 2020 reelection effort rather than conduct a disciplined, fact-finding inquiry.”
