Scoop: Democrats to probe Trump for targeting CNN, Washington Post
Source: Axios
House Democrats plan to investigate whether President Trump abused White House power by targeting and trying to punish with "instruments of state power" The Washington Post and CNN, incoming House intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff said in an interview for "Axios on HBO."
Why it matters: Until now, all Trump critics could do is complain about his escalating attacks on the media. With subpoena power and public hearings, the incoming House Democratic majority can demand emails and testimony to see if Trump used the instruments of state power to punish the press, Schiff said.
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It is very squarely within our responsibility to find out, he said in the interview, which will air Sunday evening on HBO.
Schiff brought up two avenues of inquiry with a press-freedom theme, aimed at investigating possible administration actions to target two of the nation's highest profile corporations.
Read more: https://www.axios.com/democrats-adam-schiff-donald-trump-cnn-jeff-bezos-ed8c162f-5a07-4aba-9bc7-a970754958f6.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=twsocialshare&utm_campaign=organic
Harker
(14,067 posts)is full of delight.
UpInArms
(51,285 posts)That Lyin Ryan was the most worstless POS
Failure to do their job .... letting our Constitution be walked all over by the Orange Menace
Thank you, Adam Schiff!
watoos
(7,142 posts)elocs
(22,622 posts)in order not to tip off TrumpCo. Throwing them some head fakes might be a good idea though.
Lets just investigate it all. Expose everything so we can figure out what needs bleach, what needs fire, and what somehow got overlooked by the corrupt touch
groundloop
(11,529 posts)There's simply not enough time or resources to investigate EVERYTHING Tiny has done which is either illegal, unethical, or immoral. IMO our leaders should consider all that could possibly be investigated and decide on a few key priorities which will have the largest impact, then go after those with everything we've got.
quakerboy
(13,923 posts)But always remember that they got capone on the tax evasion. Its not always the thing looks like the big deal that will be the one that has the big impact.
But my basic point was that if we appear to be coming from every direction , he/they wont know which rug is safe to try and sweep things under. Thats when more obvious mistakes will be made, and if we are looking in from all the angles, we will have eyes on, ready to catch them when they do.
And luckily, as I understand it, we will have 230 odd Democratic representatives. Id say between them they could figure out at least 60 different angles to at least nominally investigate from.
NoMoreRepugs
(9,494 posts)makes preparations to defend difficult.... I like the idea of a gargantuan SCREWDRIVER just torquing away at the Orange Menace. Dems can play the same game as Repugs did w BHO, create the perception that EVERYTHING El Douche has done and says is going to be scrutinized.
TheBlackAdder
(28,237 posts)NoMoreRepugs
(9,494 posts)Sunlei
(22,651 posts)More 'fair' maps made a difference in these midterms. And the high courts ruled new maps must stay for 2020 election. (when Republicans tried to appeal the change)
dalton99a
(81,656 posts)moonseller66
(430 posts)By January 99% of all emails will be dust in the proverbial wind (DC's, not Kansas) or lost electRons (like the Republicans!)
As for testimony, really? The precedent has been set going back to the Nixon/Ronnie era...I can't recall...To the best of my recollection...etc. etc. ad infinitum!
And will the Democrats actually arrest any Republican who refuses to answer a subpoena?
It's a nice thought but if anyone thought their days of Republican delays were over, there are bridges all over this country for sale.
madville
(7,413 posts)We saw all this play out when Eric Holder refused a subpoena and was found in contempt of Congress. It is then up to the DOJ to prosecute or not and we saw them decline to do so with Holder just like this DOJ would decline to prosecute any of this administration.
duforsure
(11,885 posts)When a person in this position uses his powers in any way to hurt people, or businesses with, especially his opposition, or the free press. That is illegal acts against others , defaming and making up accusations they know are false. When those in our government refuse to hold him unaccountable is also illegal, and a refusal to uphold the oath they swore to abide by. trump has done this to many, while the gop ignore actions to stop this now. This is why they will lose future elections for decades.
CatWoman
(79,302 posts)world wide wally
(21,758 posts)Sunlei
(22,651 posts)of lawsuits
Let Republicans thousands of tax free- "political charities" WORK for 'donations' defending their 'RW society'.
KY_EnviroGuy
(14,498 posts)Veteran journalist Sam Donaldson on Sunday slammed Donald Trump's "small base" of voters, and revealed that he's participating in a lawsuit against Trump for banning CNN's Jim Acosta from the White House.
Link: https://crooksandliars.com/2018/11/sam-donaldson-helping-sue-trump-banning
(snip)
Donaldson also lashed out at Trump for ignoring the Constitution and the American people, aside from his base of supporters.
..........
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)One lawsuit at a time won't cut it, Rs will drag one out for years.
Rs have allowed & encouraged 'attacks of all types' against OUR 'free press' people for decades!
RockRaven
(15,051 posts)for civil rights violations performed as an employee of the government if the violations are overt/egregious enough.
Here's the opening paragraph of Wikipedia's article on qualified immunity:
"Qualified immunity is a legal doctrine in United States federal law that shields government officials from being sued for discretionary actions performed within their official capacity, unless their actions violated "clearly established" federal law or constitutional rights.[1] Qualified immunity thus protects officials who "make reasonable but mistaken judgments about open legal questions,"[2] but does not protect "the plainly incompetent or those who knowingly violate the law"[3]."
"Plainly incompetent or those who knowingly violate the law..." sounds like a lot of Trump's West Wing staff.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)Interns also need to learn to say NO.
I don't know who that young lady intern was but it was pretty sad to see her glancing back & forth at Trump, looking like she was going to cry.
Basement Beat
(659 posts)LiberalLovinLug
(14,178 posts)That they are on the same exact side. All out to get him.
And another tangent of that is it will cause a knee jerk reaction at CNN and the WP to 'prove' they are just as tough on Democrats as Republicans.
But I hope the 'free' press has learned its lesson about their perpetual false equivalency of the two parties behaviors. If anything good comes out it about the press, I hope it is this.
erronis
(15,402 posts)Dump should understand retribution. That's his MO.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)Take them to the courts! Bring in the intern and ask her under oath what the 'plan was' for the CNN reporters question.
Saw one of a corporate republicans goons do about the same grab the mic- to a reporter just a few years ago when a question was asked the corp didn't 'like' .
BigmanPigman
(51,646 posts)that the Dems have a looooooong list of things they have been sitting on and will go after if we won. WE WON! Bring it on Schiff!
blue-wave
(4,372 posts)Jim Acosta was/is treated answers this abuse of power question for me. We are facing the biggest threat to democracy worldwide since fascism's rise in the 1920's and 30's.
Grasswire2
(13,571 posts)If you haven't seen him on video or read his books, you will find them super enlightening.
1. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From The Twentieth Century
2. The Road To Unfreedom.
DeminPennswoods
(15,292 posts)Dan Rather and Daniel Schorr were particular targets at CBS. Nixon went so far as to speak directly with Wm Paley, then head of CBS, about Rather. To harass the WP, Nixon got some of his wealthy reporters to bid for the licenses of a few TV stations the WP owned at the time.