Neal Katyal suggests again today: De-fund AG Barr's salary and the AG Office.

[OnDoutside]

In light of the Barr display yesterday, it is clear he will ignore the subpoena, brush off a contempt of Congress, and attempt to force Dems to go down the impeachment process. There is another option, and one I thought was a waste of time a month ago. It's not sounding so far out there now.....

2:48 mark

De-funding the Attorney General of the United States is a legitimate and respectable tool Congress could use to at least curtail lawlessness on the part of the Attorney General and his office? Yes.

” [Taxpayers]...shouldn’t pay for...this lawlessness.” Indeed.

Despite inevitable caterwauling and wailings of “Partisanship! Cheaters!” by the GOP, Congress should absolutely set these gears in motion while they still can and educate the American people as to why.

1. Bill Barr lied, and continues to lie, about the Mueller Report. That much is clear now that it has been parsed through and reported on. Does he think Americans are stupid? Yes.

2. Bill Barr refuses to release the full, unreacted Mueller Report to the other equal branch of government—Congress—because he knows most Americans don’t realize that it is Constitutionally required.

3. Bill Barr is threatening to stonewall Congress yet again, by refusing to testify in front of the House Judiciary Committee because he disagrees with their “format,” i.e., he does not want to be questioned by Democratic lawyers.

4. Trump, Barr, and former Acting AG Rod Rosenstein, are thumbing their noses at the People—Congress—in their quest to to seize power. If the House doesn’t act the AG Office/DOJ may start “investigating” members of Congress to delegitimize Congress even further

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/4/29/1845857/-Neal-Katyal-s-suggestion-in-March-applies-today-De-fund-AG-Barr-s-salary-and-the-AG-Office

[50 Shades Of Blue]

1. What about the rank and file employees working there?

[OnDoutside]

2. Which is more important right now, US Democracy or AG's office staff ?

[50 Shades Of Blue]

3. How's it gonna look with them not getting paid because of Democrats?

[OnDoutside]

7. Not much really. It seems there's about 600 working in his office. It's not like the entire

Government is shut down

https://www.justice.gov/jmd/page/file/968316/download

[50 Shades Of Blue]

15. Even if you don't care about the welfare of those employees who don't deserve to be political pawns,

600 is not a small number and Repugs would make it seem like 6000. They'd make sure it backfired on Dems big time.

[maxsolomon]

4. How does that work?

they can just cut off funding?

[Brawndo]

8. Congress has the power of the purse

Our founders intended that to work as one of our checks and balances. Now is the perfect time to remind the Executive Branch of that fact.

[maxsolomon]

9. yeah, but don't they need to do that in a budget?

they can do it without legislating it?

[Brawndo]

12. That goes beyond my knowledge of Congressional procedure or methods, I'd have to ask Neal Katyal

[maxsolomon]

13. LOL

my gut is that they can't "just do it".

[onenote]

5. How do "we" de-fund Barr's office when "we" don't control both houses of Congress?

What would be the implications for legitimate law enforcement activities if the AG's office (not just Barr's salary) was defunded (and at what point might a de-funding bill run afoul of the Constitutional ban on bills of attainder?) If the entire Office of the Attorney General is defunded, How many people, including administrative assistants, etc. would suddenly be left without a salary -- something Mr. Barr could much more easily tolerate than most AG office employees.

[OnDoutside]

11. Katyal is a former Solicitor General, so I presume he knows what is possible.

According to this, about 600

https://www.justice.gov/jmd/page/file/968316/download

[onenote]

14. Well maybe he should try explaining how its "possible"

to cut off previously authorized and appropriated funds when you control one house of Congress.

[OnDoutside]

16. Maybe he doesn't need to because he knows ?

[UniteFightBack]

19. Yeah he is extremely smart and knows what he is talking about and if he is saying they can do

this then they can. I have to laugh at all the folks trying to poke holes.

[erronis]

21. Probably not as smart as the stable genius, tho.

Or as Col. Potter would say, the horse's patoot.

[onenote]

22. Really? Because I'm laughing at the folks that think this can be done by any means other than

engineering a complete government shutdown -- one that would clearly be the Democrats responsibility (and that can't be done until the end of September anyway).

There is no -- I repeat no - mechanism for one house of Congress to block the spending of authorized and appropriated funds. This is and always will be a silly, unachievable idea.

[BigmanPigman]

6. If you do that would he still be able to go after the ACA?

That is what he is doing and he must be stopped ASAP! How does this defunding work?

[OnDoutside]

10. I was hoping that too. That said he was forcing his attorneys NOT to defend that ACA, but the state

AGs said they would represent the people's interest in court.

I presume when they approve funding, the entire budget isn't handed over ?

[BobTheSubgenius]

17. Fuck em if they cant take a jioke.

They`ve defunded the entire government when it suits their partisan interests.

[watoos]

18. Maybe we should wait?

Seriously though, if Mueller doesn’t testify by May 15th what do you wait and see crowd suggest?
Hope I don’t get spanked for having an opinion different than Speaker Pelosi’s.
I still support her 100%.
King Donald already decreed that McGahn will not testify. How do you let’s wait crowd intend to get the entire Mueller report?

[calimary]

20. I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE this! So much!!!!

Cut off his budget. Unless he comes in to testify according to the conditions set by the Judiciary Committee. NOT by him. He doesn’t set the rules for the House of Reps. The House of Reps does. And the House is led by the Dems.

Congress controls the federal purse strings. And the Democrats control Congress.