I hope the Democrats running against Nunes and Meadows et. al. use this to bury them in the midterms.
In the case of Meadows, they should point out that North Carolina is under water, people have died, the region is facing a massive toxic clean up, and Meadows is more worried about sabotaging the investigation into Russia’s interference in our elections to protect Trump than lifting a finger to help the people he claims to represent.
While I think this will have impact only among cognoscenti of the details, conspiracy theorists, and Trump acolytes, discussion of it in all forums should emphasize what a selective release this is. A few pages here, a few pages there. That’s the opposite of ‘transparency’: it’s obvious spinning and cherry-picking.
Let’s hope that people whose comments get relayed (Democratic Congressional voices, media, etc.) can agree on the appropriate meme: “this cherry-picked selective release” should be in everyone’s tweets, statements, and on-air comments, IMHO.
Notice the very selective pattern of the release: a few pages here, a few pages there. Of course they know what they’re getting… and they’re being careful that only parts that can, at a stretch, be spun their way will be released, while keeping the remaining 404 whatever pages classified so that the full picture remains hidden.
“cherry-picking selective release”, people!
Yep. Law enforcement does have a bias. They’re biased in favor of enforcing the law. When someone’s breaking it, their work begins. Of course, they can be corrupt, too. Every agency in our government needs checks and balances. Congress is supposed to be one of those checks, but the majority party has abdicated their duty and are complicit in the crimes they’re supposed to be checking.
What’s wrong about all of this is that the White House is meddling in a DOJ investigation, completely contrary to norms, and has probably gone over the edge into obstruction, an actual crime in addition to the growing roster of crimes against his cabal. If we can keep our form of government together and put the crooks in jail, it will be a testament to the strength of our democracy.
Yeah, the magical mystical 60-day rule, invoked when convenient.
Cherry picked items for maximum effect, no doubt. Another obvious obstructive move.
DNI Coats is going to slow-walk this as much as possible, but what is the settled law in this situation? I’ve read that a President can declassify anything, that by releasing something it is retroactively declassified.
Are our legal protections really that weak?
I think it was Josh Marshall who wrote that our greatest vulnerability is destruction of long-held norms.
I do not know the answer to your question. Trump is clearly guilty and is, like Nixon before him, using the normal executive powers in abnormal, corrupt ways to cover up his guilt. Besides being remembered as the Quisling President Who Was Also Incompetent, Donald Trump will be remembered as The President, Who, Like Dogs, Did Certain Things, No Matter How Unedifying, Simply Because He Can. L’Etat C’Est Moi, Baby.
Is Fat Donnie so sure what’s in these docs?
You mean “Fungus Dong” Trump, no?
Norms need to be laws to protect us from when psychopaths get into office…
Not every norm can be written into law in precise fashion-Look at Trump’s campaign
The low-energy jibe at Jeb
The bleeding from wherever jibe at Megyn Kelly
The encouraging of a threatening atmosphere towards reporters and protestors.
A civilized citizen should be shunned for any of those, let alone all three. How can they be written into law as an actionable offense?
Sadly Nunes and his gang will keep reminding Trump that they want the documents released. The adults can only hold out so long.
I have been wondering the same thing. Normally one side doesn’t push for a document release unless it knows it is going to help them, but on several previous occasions, these dunderheads have been punished by documents they insisted be released.
ETTD. This may be Coats last chance to avoid becoming one of the living dead, and slow-walking the order probably isn’t enough.
The norm for political appointees is that, if you don’t believe you can support the President, you resign with some bland announcement and then keep your mouth shut.
But, the norm for a President is that you don’t treat classified materials, Federal law enforcement, and security agencies as personal playthings to serve your personal and partisan desires. The norm for a president is that you don’t publicly demean their competence and professionalism just because they are doing their jobs instead of bending to your every demand or making shit up to please you.
So, forget the norms, Coats. Don’t keep your mouth shut. Don’t even resign. Speak up, now, as the US Director of National Intelligence. Speak in service of the nation, not of this twisted man in the White House. You know it is wrong for Trumpp to even ask for this stuff. You know that the specific materials requested were selected to allow him and his allies to falsely malign good people and good agencies. You know that the request is intended to help obstruct justice, whether or not it meets the legal definition of the term. You know that the ability of the agencies to attract and retain good employees within the agencies and good sources outside the agencies has been damaged by Trumpp, is further damaged by this request, and will continue to suffer damage as long as Trumpp is in office.
So, speak, Coats. You did it once already, in July, when Trumpp stood with Putin and sided with him over our own intelligence agencies regarding Russian interference in the election. You know this man is harming America, breaking our form of government.
You’re exactly right. This is a sick situation and heaven help anyone who gets used to it, starts thinking of it as normal, even a little bit
You can be my hired muscle any time I get into a philosophy fight 