Democrats in Congress are trying to manufacture a new scandal to impeach President Trump.
It involves Attorney General William Barr.
But William Barr turned the tables and threw down an ultimatum that left Nancy Pelosi and her allies trembling.
Democrats threatened to hold Attorney General Barr in contempt unless he turned over an unredacted version of the Mueller report.
Attorney General Barr could not comply with that request because of laws against disclosing grand jury testimony.
So the Department of Justice tried to negotiate in good faith by allowing some Democrats to read the unredacted report in a secure location.
But Democrats refused.
They don’t really want the Mueller report.
Everyone knows its conclusions—and they are a dead end.
What they want is the fight and the chance to scream “cover-up” so their allies in the so-called “mainstream” media can claim Trump was abusing his power thus giving the Democrats grounds for impeachment.
But Attorney General Barr didn’t back down.
The Justice Department – through Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd – fired off a letter to Democrats in Congress stating that the Department would recommend President Trump assert executive privilege over the Mueller report should the Democrats move ahead with a contempt vote against Barr.
“In the face of the Committee’s threatened contempt vote, the Attorney General will be compelled to request that the President invoke executive privilege with respect to the materials subject to the subpoena,” Boyd wrote to Congressional Democrats.
“I hereby request that the Committee hold the subpoena in abeyance and delay any vote on whether to recommend a citation of contempt for non-compliance with the subpoena, pending the President’s termination of this question,” Boyd continued.
Democrats, led by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, were furious.
Nadler released a statement calling the White House lawless and “dangerous.”
“The White House waived these privileges long ago, and the Department seemed open to sharing these materials with us earlier today. The Department’s legal arguments are without credibility, merit, or legal or factual basis,” Nadler said in a statement.
“Worse, this kind of obstruction is dangerous. The Department’s decision reflects President Trump’s blanket defiance of Congress’s constitutionally mandated duties. In the coming days, I expect that Congress will have no choice but to confront the behavior of this lawless Administration. The Committee will also take a hard look at the officials who are enabling this cover up,” he continued.
This fight is sure to end up in court – in fact, it could make it all the way to the Supreme Court.
This case will settle large questions about the separation of powers and Congressional overreach that will be felt long after Donald Trump is out of office.
And it just may become the most consequential legal showdown between the legislative and executive branches since Watergate.
We will keep you up to date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
