This Obscure News Story, Which Should Be Huge, Shows How Trump Gets Away With Corruption

[DonViejo]

By Jonathan Chait

February 23, 2017
9:29 a.m.

One of the flaws in the design of the federal government is that, while the founders envisioned competing branches of government, unified party control of government can turn those branches into partners who do not check each other’s abuses. A second flaw is that Congress has a diffuse and often-confusing decision-making process that can make public accountability extremely difficult. Both problems come together in a new story that ought to be huge news but will instead be relegated to legislative arcana.

Here is the story. The House of Representatives has refused to investigate either one of the two massive ongoing legal and ethical violations involving the Trump administration: President Trump’s opaque ties (financial and otherwise) to Russia, and his ongoing self-enrichment in office and violations of the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause.

If the House won’t investigate, what happens next? Well, the next-best course of action would be some form of public debate on the matter. This is not nearly as good as a real investigation, since the absence of subpoena power means Republicans can simply deny Trump has done anything wrong while blocking any efforts to acquire the evidence that would prove the case. But at least it’s something. That’s why House Democrats introduced a “resolution of inquiry” that would force House action on these issues.

Today, Politico reports the House’s response: It will divert the resolution to the House Judiciary Committee, which will (almost certainly) vote on Tuesday along party lines to kill the inquiry. It will be a minor story that probably receives scant or nonexistent coverage from television news, and then it will be quickly over. To be sure, coverage of Trump’s scandals will surely continue. But coverage of the House role in permitting Trump’s behavior will be extremely minimal.

more
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/02/this-obscure-news-story-shows-how-trump-gets-away-with-it.html

[niyad]

1. k and r

[Pacifist Patriot]

2. Maddening!

[annabanana]

3. Vile . . . . n/t

[unblock]

4. cover up! cover up! cover up!

[BadgerMom]

5. K & R

[Leith]

6. Of Course They Will

With rethugs like Goodlatte, Darrell Issa, Louie Gohmert, Trey Gowdy, Jason Chaffetz, and Steve King (among others) on the committee, they will protect scrotus's destruction so they can do some destroying of their own.

[Ligyron]

7. Then it's up to us to make sure that doesn't happen.

Thank gawd for actual investigative reporters.

[calimary]

9. Yep. Sounds like the only thing to do is MAKE DAMN SURE WE VOTE IN THE MIDTERMS.

We HAVE TO take back the House and the Senate. Only then can we get anything constructive done.

[Beartracks]

19. MAKE DAMN SURE WE VOTE IN THE MIDTERMS

Just bears repeating.



===============================

[Docreed2003]

26. MAKE DAMN SURE WE VOTE IN THE MIDTERMS

One more time just to make sure it sinks in...

[FailureToCommunicate]

8. Look over there: SQUIRREL !!

[Bill USA]

10. GOP toadies of M$M will definitely not cover this. It's much more to their liking to talk endlessly

about Hillary Clinton's emails. Real corruption, or sabotaging our democracy - by a Republican, they won't touch with a 100 ft pole.

[dalton99a]

11. This is just one example.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

12. Paul Ryan needs to be revealed as the out of touch monster that he is.

His Ayn Randian policies are killing our economy. That needs exposing so that more of the public will be interested in investing.

[Scarsdale]

24. McConnell

refused to allow any investigation, when he was informed of the Russian hacking. He said it would "look to partisan" He said something very revealing too, when he declared "The next president will chose the SC nominee" after refusing hearings n President Obama's choice. Did Mitch the Bitch KNOW the election was fixed? His "wife" got an appointment in the administration. Payback?

[SleeplessinSoCal]

25. I think he expected to be able to take down Hillary.

Can't imagine they expected Twitler. But now the he is there, McConnell ought to go - with a hook if necessary.

[dae]

13. Make them vote for the record then make them pay for their

record.

[jalan48]

14. This is where the media should be inserting itself but apparently it might hurt its bottom line.

What ever happened to the 4th Estate-our Founding Fathers believed it should play an important part in our system of government.

[dem4decades]

15. well that didn't make me feel any better

[StarryNite]

16. Yeah, me either. :(

[BumRushDaShow]

17. House elections every 2 years

I expect "the founders" figured that if people got pissed enough, they would bring about the change. Having single-party rule happens, but it doesn't happen as frequently as we envision it. The media then dubs it "divided government" and "what the people seem to want" and we have that chance by making sure to field candidates and GOTV in 2018 (since Impeachment starts in the House).

Article I

Section 1.

All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.

Section 2.

The House of Representatives shall be composed of members chosen every second year by the people of the several states, and the electors in each state shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the state legislature.

<...>

https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articlei

[yardwork]

18. This is why we have to vote for Democrats!

If the Republicans control Congress, they control all investigations.

[Cha]

20. Ye-ah!

[Blue Owl]

21. Dirty Donnie

[dchill]

22. K&R.

[red dog 1]

23. K&R

Kudos to Politico and New York Magazine's Daily Intelligencer (& Jonathan Chait) for having the guts to cover this important story.