White House orders agencies to ignore Democrats oversight requests

[babylonsister]

White House orders agencies to ignore Democrats’ oversight requests

Trump’s aides are trying to shut down the release of information that could be used to attack the president.

By Burgess Everett and Josh Dawsey

06/02/2017 05:11 AM EDT


The White House is telling federal agencies to blow off Democratic lawmakers' oversight requests, as Republicans fear the information could be weaponized against President Donald Trump.

At meetings with top officials for various government departments this spring, Uttam Dhillon, a White House lawyer, told agencies not to cooperate with such requests from Democrats, according to Republican sources inside and outside the administration.

It appears to be a formalization of a practice that had already taken hold, as Democrats have complained that their oversight letters requesting information from agencies have gone unanswered since January, and the Trump administration has not yet explained the rationale.

The declaration amounts to a new level of partisanship in Washington, where the president and his administration already feels besieged by media reports and attacks from Democrats. The idea, Republicans said, is to choke off the Democratic congressional minorities from gaining new information that could be used to attack the president.

more...

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/02/federal-agencies-oversight-requests-democrats-white-house-239034

[Zoonart]

1. Time for Democrats to walk.

This is not just blowing off requests. This is a full blown shut down of our democratic system of checks and balances.

[RKP5637]

2. The country is clearly under assault and many Americans still don't get it. n/t

[Nitram]

12. And many Americans do get it.

[RKP5637]

29. I surely hope they all vote and we have enough! What happens with the investigations will make, of

course, a huge difference. I hope they all get nailed!

[pangaia]

15. Some writers at POLITICO don't get it.

[RKP5637]

30. It's still treated far too lightly! n/t

[Nitram]

40. Maybe, RKP, but some of us choose to laugh rather than cry.

Our response will be much more effective if we keep things in perspective and avoid running around like Chicken Little with his head cut off.

[RKP5637]

43. This administration is so globally hated by most, I think they will bring themselves down. The

investigations will be a major turning point, of course.

[workinclasszero]

50. Many right here on this board don't get it

We are the victims of a right wing coup carried out by Vladimir Putin, his handpicked puppet Trump and the traitorous republican party.

Their aim is to weaken America so much we will not be a player on the world stage anymore, much less a leader.

Trump is weakening the whole western alliance of free democratic countries for his employer/bankroll Putin.

Already Putin is threatening Sweden and Trump his faithful lapdog says nothing.

Putin Vows Military Response to 'Eliminate NATO Threat' If Sweden Joins U.S.-Led Alliance
By Damien Sharkov On 6/2/17 at 5:25 AM
http://www.newsweek.com/vladimir-putin-vows-eliminate-nato-threat-sweden-joins-619486

The USA is going to pay one hell of a price for allowing these traitors to infiltrate and compromise our government.

[RKP5637]

51. It is, it is a coup. I'm at a loss to get why many don't get it, across the nation. Probably because

the US has never experienced anything like this and the psyops employed. Most likely think of an invasion as requiring military action. It can be quite covertly done. We've seen it happening, yet many are in denial. Far too many think of the "new" GOP as being like the "Eisenhower" GOP. Americans need to really wake up, but I have my doubts.

[Nitram]

53. The attempted coup has not succeeded, workin.

We will survive this and we will be stronger for it.

[workinclasszero]

54. I hope you are right but I have my doubts

2018 is the only chance we have to stop Putins coup. I hope the American people are up for it.

[meow2u3]

5. Time for Democrats to take this illegal directive to court

The White House knows that what they're doing is patently illegal. Maybe a Federal judge will nullify such antidemocratic bullshit from this regime.

[onenote]

46. Actually, there's nothing particularly illegal about it

Executive branch agencies are under no legal obligation to respond to correspondence/calls, etc. from members of Congress of either party. They do so as a matter of courtesy and because the party that is in the minority today may be in the majority tomorrow. And the party in the majority controls oversight committees and oversight committees (not individual members) have tools at their disposal to get information from agencies.

But there's nothing illegal about an agency ignoring a member of Congress or even deciding to ignore all members from one party. Typically they wouldn't do that because they can't predict whether that member of Congress might be in the majority someday.

[onenote]

37. Walk where?

[leftynyc]

3. It may be time for

a BIG AND SHOWY press conference. Include every single request made, the reasons for the request and demands that they get the information AND ask - day after day after day after day - WHAT ARE THEY HIDING?

[benfranklin1776]

6. Exactamundo

Hang it around their head like the dead albatross of constitutional democracy that it is. Scream it from the rooftops at every opportunity and never let people forget, as otherwise it will get buried in the morass of mind numbing diversionary nonsense people are inundated with every day.

[annabanana]

17. THIS!.. Oh yes, SO this!

What are they hiding? We can turn their stonewalling into their biggest liability.

[leftynyc]

22. EVERY SINGLE DAY

THIS has to be the message. What are they hiding.

[Scarsdale]

28. Expose his TAXES

Then everything will be explained, along with his "aides" taxes.

[leftynyc]

31. I'm hoping Mueller

subpoenas them. They will certainly tell the tale. He owes hundreds of millions to russian banks and that's why putin can yank his testicles any time he likes.

[BobTheSubgenius]

4. fanfuckingtastic

A government that strongly believes that what they're doing is right wouldn't act this way. This is the MO of a government (for the sake of argument, we'll call them that) that feels that the only way it can survive is if it works in secret.

Or, survive long enough to finish setting the charges, lighting the fuses. then getting outta Dodge. Clearly, the longer this paradigm can last for them, the better, but I really don't believe they have a long game in mind. It's not the protection racket it might seem, it's smash-and-grab.

[WinkyDink]

7. The word you want is "dictatorship." Or perhaps, because Trump is vengeful, "tyranny." Kathy

Griffin was wrong, but she was also right.

[Wounded Bear]

21. Totalitarianism...

many labels, same basic rationale.

[not fooled]

36. Don't forget

President Bannon's goal of wrecking the Federal government. Hence, imposing saboteurs and incompetents as executive appointments in these agencies, hacking budgets, and otherwise attempting to destroy many agencies and their work.

This admin realizes that there is fertile ground for complaints from career Federal officials who don't appreciate seeing their agencies burned down and their life's work shat upon. Hence, just muzzle anyone who could speak out, and block the Democrats from attempting to find out what's really going on.

[sinkingfeeling]

8. America is officially no longer a country of democratic values and laws. We are

rapidly approaching a toltarian dictatorship.

[Nitram]

13. no, sinking, we are still a countrry of democratic laws and values. The president and his

administration are trying to undo that, but the system has blocked many of their attempts. We have not, as a country, lost this fight yet. Don't discount us so easily.

[heaven05]

25. The ship is sinking!!!!! The ship is sinking!!!!!

oh chill, biggest and most modern ship afloat, guaranteed to never sink.....the Titanic will float on, FULL STEAM AHEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our only hope at this time is 2018 elections and people demonstrating NOW!!!! I'll get my cane out and get a goddamn wheeled walker if I have to but I'm ready now!!!!!!!! The damage a RW Congress and their lap dog potus and his administration can do is horrendous to think about.

Hope is good, yet.................

[Nitram]

39. The band ain't playing "Nearer my God to Thee" yet.

[heaven05]

47. ha ha ha!! It's coming though

[George II]

9. More obstruction of justice.

[TryLogic]

10. This is action parallel to obstruction of justice.

Is it in the category of high crimes and misdemeanors?

[Catherine Vincent]

11. Something has got to give

This is another example of republicans getting away whatever they want but if it was a Democratic WH, they wouldn't be able to even think about it.

[Marthe48]

24. It wouldn't occur to a Dem President

IMPEACH trump, try his henchmen-they are all traitors to America. ALL of them

[FoxNewsSucks]

14. That tactic worked for they lying criminal Bush administration

Kkkarl Rove ignored subpoenas and walked into a nice job on TV.

[Scarsdale]

32. Rove still looks

like an overstuffed PIG. He lost all credibility, except with Faux. I wonder what happened to Gannon, the male prostitute who used to spend nights at Dubya's WH??

[annabanana]

16. If he wasn't a complete and total trainwreck, there'd be

nothing to "weaponize".

[Justice]

18. This seems like Bannon pure and simple

[Honeycombe8]

19. That seems illegal. If they have oversight by law, it's illegal not to comply. nt

[El Mimbreno]

26. Like trump gives a rat's ass. nt

[Honeycombe8]

35. Our checks and balances system isn't working. nt

[onenote]

38. The Committee has oversight, not individual members

If the Committee, which of course has a repub majority, asks for something, it has certain tools at its disposal to force compliance. But whether an agency responds to an individual member, even one who is on the committee with oversight as to the agency, is up to the agency.

[Honeycombe8]

48. I see. Thanks. Sounds like he's controlling the Repubs on that committee. Figures. nt

[onenote]

49. Maybe. Or maybe they're just sheeple who prefer not to ask too many questions.

[bresue]

20. Another Obstruction of an Investigation Charge

Dump keeps adding them up. I guess he realizes he is already caught, why not add more?

[angrychair]

23. One sure way to fix this situation

VOTE!

[Renew Deal]

27. "according to Russian sources inside and outside the administration"

That's the way I read it the first time.

[bucolic_frolic]

33. Blatant stonewalling

is simply obstruction.

Learn it from Mitch McConnell.

[Grins]

34. Key phrase: "a new level of partisanship in Washington"

It should have read, "a new level of partisanship in the GOP", but I can live it.

And this, the day after the Great Orange Menace™ said, out-of-nowhere, during his remarks yesterday:

"Our TAX BILL is moving along in Congress and I believe it's doing very well. I think a lot of people will be very pleasantly surprised. <You got that one right.> The Republicans are working very, very hard. WE'D LOVE TO HAVE SUPPORT FROM THE DEMOCRATS, but we may have to GO IT ALONE, but it's going very well."

Bipartisan!!! "Reachin' across the aisle!

[Proud Liberal Dem]

42. Did he let the cat out of the bag on this?

I didn't know they were already working on something?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

41. He can't do this?

Can he? FOIA?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

44. Did we see headlines like this during Obama's Presidency?

I guess it's just "partisanship" when Democrats are trying to get records but not when Republicans have been doing the same damn thing when Democrats are in the WH? With one key difference, of course, being that Democrats give out the information.

[MichaelSoE]

45. yup

[L. Coyote]

52. Lawsuits to follow all Trump's illegal actions. The court will order compliance.

Sorry trumpster, you are not a dictator.