I’m mainly a lurker. Was actually hoping someone else would post about the hearing today. I was barely cognizant when the Oliver North, Ronald Reagan(Hallowed Be Thy Name), Iran/Contra Thing went on. After watching the ridiculous “testimony” of Corey Lewandowski, I’m less convinced than ever that anyone on the right is concerned with the rule of law at all. I thought I understood partisan politics, but admit I am totally unprepared for a society that will take “I am refusing to answer because the president said don’t answer” as proof of anything other than the obfuscation or outright obstruction of the task that we elect our officials to perform. I understand that he’s not an employee of the president and hasn’t been since the president has been the president. hat I don’t understand is how he is able to refuse to answer questions regarding the conversations he shared with the president while not acting in an official capacity. Is anyone who ever talked to the president immune from testimony? How can we root out corruption if no one who has ever talked to the president can be compelled to testify?
[Jedi gesture] This is not the corruption you’re looking for.
He’s saying “Womp, womp” to the nation.
Maybe, someday, we can return the favor.
I haven’t had the chance to watch the hearings, but I heard a little about it on the radio.
Not everybody on the American political right thinks Mr. Lewandowski is such a great guy. Some of us think executive privilege must be made on specific, articulate grounds and not implicated “merely on the ground of a generalized interest in confidentiality” (United States v. Nixon, 1974). That doesn’t necessarily mean the questions must be answered in public, however.
~Max
United States v. Nixon, 418 U.S. 683 (1974)
Where else, then?!
A closed-door hearing. If the answers are used to indict the president, then yes, they are going to be made public. But if it turns out they aren’t needed, I see no issue keeping potentially personal and embarrassing but irrelevant information out of the press.
~Max
Prepare for another year of that. The Democrats’ unfortunate strategy is to have hearings that follow hearings. The Trump/DOJ/Satan strategy is going to be: if you bother to even show up, dummy up and smile.
Those Reps Collins and Jordan were calling out what it was. Wish these people will get back to their jobs.
Dude, you didn’t even mention the worst of it:
Corey Lewandowski opened up his Senate (R-NH) campaign yesterday.
Of course the GOP is going to stand with Corey. Of course they are going to stand with a man who flagrantly violates the Constitution and what it stood (not “stands”) for. Of course they don’t care that he’s breaking the law.
Here’s the thing: the conservatives no longer have time left to play by the rules and they know it.
Nixon won with 61% of the vote in 1972
Reagan '84 won with 58%
Bush 88 won 53%
Bush 2000 47%
Bush 2004 50%
Trump 2016 46%
They’ve only won in 2000 and 2016 because of structural problems in the system, but even that is no longer sufficient as 2016 required the open assistance of outside agents for Donald Trump to squeak out his victory.
So, that’s why he’s acting this way: Even though the Reagan Revolution won, the ideas behind it are increasingly unpopular, the people promoting them represent a shrinking slice of the American electorate, and the only way conservatives can remain in power is by manipulating… then flagrantly violating… the rules and Constitution.
The Democrats just epically lost yesterday’s hearing. They really do not seem to get what’s going on.
The fact Lewandowski sounded like a corrupt asshole and the Democrats sounded legalistic and sober is in no way a win. Trumpists don’t care about the law; they just care about hurting people and fighting. To them, Lewandowski sounded like a hero, and the Democrats looked powerless and weak. The failure to have Lewandowski arrested on the spot is inexplicably stupid.
Dahlia Lithwick thinks the Lewandowski hearing was a plus for the Democrats –
Jennifer Rubin at the Washington Post saw something similar (alas, it is paywalled). The real fireworks started after the politicians were done, and the questioning was turned over to the Democrats’ counsel, Barry Berke. From the column:
"Here’s what he accomplished:
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Berke forced Lewandowski to acknowledge that when he said on national television multiple times he would “voluntarily” appear before special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, that was false. Berke demonstrated Lewandowski also lied when he said on TV he had not been asked to testify. Lewandowski asserted he had no obligation to tell the media (and the public) the truth.
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Berke made plain that Lewandowski took the Fifth and refused to testify for the special counsel unless granted immunity. He also showed Lewandowski clips of him publicly stating that when you take the Fifth, you’ve done something wrong.
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Berke established that before asking Lewandowski to take a message to then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the White House just so happened to dangle a White House job before him.
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Berke established that Lewandowski was absolutely loyal to Trump yet never delivered the message.
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Berke also established that Lewandowski wanted to have a private meeting with Sessions so there would be no record.
In short, Berke made perfectly clear that Lewandowski’s actions (refusing to deliver Trump’s instructions, demanding immunity, lying on TV, creating no record) demonstrated he knew he was being asked to do something wrong or illegal."
I found that part of the testimony to be worth watching. Berke knocked a lot of the smug off of Lewandowski.
Here’s the Berke segment for those who enjoy a good examination.
Thank you. That testimony was not included with the footage I watched from cbs on youtube. I actually feel much better after seeing that. Corey is still a piece of shit, but at least they were able to get him to admit that he does not give a fuck if he tells America the truth. I still believe,as others have stated here, that he should’ve awakened in a jail cell this morning. INAL, but i can’t see how executive privilege extends to someone not even employed by the administration.
He also managed to plug his book a few times as well!
IANAL either, but the privilege the Trump “administration” is asserting is a magical, non-existence privilege. There is no such thing as “constitutional privilege.” What Trump is engaging in is an abuse of power. Executive privilege – which is a thing – does not extend to a time when the Executive asserting it wasn’t the Executive. Furthermore, Executive privilege it doesn’t protect an Executive who is using the privilege for a corrupt purpose.
There is a lawsuit wending its way through the courts with a favorable ruling expected before Thanksgiving. Dems are anxiously awaiting the ruling to learn if Trump will disregard the rule of law not only with respect to Congress, but the rulings of the SCOTUS as well.
I think he will. We’re in super scary times.
Great stuff. I hadn’t heard about this nor seen it.
Please, which lawsuit is this?
I’ve read/heard this take a few different places.
My problem, though, is simple - why the hell is Jerry Nadler letting these people get away with it?
It was obvious during his testimony he was perjuring himself, they got him to all but say “I have perjured myself”. They should have arrested his ass as he was walking out the door.
Can you provide excerpts to support your conclusion? My take away was that he lied when not under oath.
~Max