They’re coming to take you away yo-ho
This is really starting to get interesting, and we’re just getting started. Up until now, the 1/6 committee has confined themselves to subpoenaing members of Trump’s inner circle and administration for evidence and testimony. And some of them have taken the absurd claim of executive privilege, and refused to even show up. Which has led to a couple of committee referrals to the DOJ for criminal contempt of court charges.
But now the game has changed to a different grid. A couple of days ago the committee sent a request to GOP Pennsylvania House member Scott Perry for documents, and to come on in for a chat. Perry basically responded by Twitter by tossing the committee double barrel birds. And today, the committee extended a similar incitation to Ohio GOP dipshit Jim Jordan, wo is expected to respond similarly.
The 1/6 committee is now in a brave new world. Their previous actions have been against former administration members and hangers on like Bannon, Stone, Clark and Meadows. Criminal prosecution is easy, as they are all now private citizens, with dubious claims of privilege. What are the politics of holding sitting members of congress in criminal contempt? What do you do when they blow you off?
Fortunately there is a simple solution that is guaranteed to grab attention. It’s a civil suit for Inherent contempt of Congress. The congress has had this tool in their toolbox for a century and a half now, but it’s seldom used. A House or DOJ lawyer would file a suit in civil court, requesting that a judge issue an order forcing the defendant to show up to testify and submit documents. If the judge issues the order, and the defendant defies it, the House can go back to court and ask that the defendant be found in contempt of court, and summarily jailed until he or she appears to testify.
This is by far and away the best tool that the committee has in it’s toolbox for dealing with this obstructionist bullshit. There is little appetite in the House to hold a sitting member in criminal contempt of congress, but civil inherent contempt of congress is a whole nother breed of cat. And federal district courts have already shown that they have no patience for the entire 1/6 debacle. Trumptard congressmen like Perry and Jordan will find cold comfort there.
I only write this because committee chair Benny Thompson and Vice Chair Liz Cheney have already shown their spines of steel. Cheney’s recent comments from the chair made it clear that the committee would not be shy about sending criminal referrals over to the DOJ, even for Trump himself if warranted. This is the most effective way to get the job done, and I believe they will be unanimous in using it. Don’t touch that dial.
Anyone that defys a subpoena from the 1/6 investigative committee should be imprisoned immediately.
Felix, not a good “look” at all.
The wheels of justice move slower, but inexorably, towards truth.
A lot slower than a coup perpetrated by liars, hustlers and grifters.
The entire concept is to use the law to catch the crooks.
Not to break the law.
The bad guys are trying to break the rule of law.
Don’t help ’em.