Discussion: Mnuchin Blows Off Response To Trump Tax Return Request To May 6

Can’t the DoJ decline to send the Federal Marshals to enforce the contempt citation?

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America sure could use some of those “rule of law republicans” right about now. Oh wait.

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As you know, they were always fakes!

When they said “law and order” we were supposed to think of melanin.

Or hippies.

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A major problem we have is that the Democratic messaging has nowhere near caught up with the reality. If Democrats suddenly decide to play hardball and actually enforce the rights of Congress, it will come as something of a surprise to 80% of Americans and will look as if we’re the ones who are picking a fight. You can’t hold Mnuchin in contempt and arrest him etc unless people are primed for it. We have a constitutional crisis on our hands. This is the moment of truth. There is no more getting around it. Pelosi should get in front the cameras and declare a state of constitutional crisis. Frame the situation, put the Supreme Court under pressure, put the media under pressure. Take control of the narrative before it’s too late.

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You talking known unknowns or unknown unknowns ?

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Why, yes, I am.

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Lock him up in the D.C. jail in general population.

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Every effort must by made to bring these people in compliance with the law…with the complicity of the Senate,the House is the last thing between a broken Constitution and the letter of the law…the courts seem compromised… last thing we need is Trump the autocrat…please act now.

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Damnit Dems you can’t play nice, hold him in contempt and lock him up until he complies

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But according to people here, their “enforcing” is dependent on the DOJ. Can DOJ choose not to lock him up?

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This DOJ will.

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then what? Congress has an inherent right to enforce a contempt charge, they can fine the person or jail them for The duration of the Congressional session, Congress has not done so since 1935, refer it to the Atty General, who probably decide not to charge the individual, or some local prosecuter, who may or may not decide to get involved.

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Hey, Rumsfuck may have been an ass, but that was one of the smartest and least appreciated statements he made.

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Where is our breaking point? What will compel millions of us to march on Washington?

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Wasn’t the subpoena directed to the head of the IRS? He apparently reports to Mnuchin, but he would seem to be the appropriate person to lock up first. they could then go after Mnuchin separately on obstruction or contempt charges but it would seem to be more of a slamdunk case to go the direct route…

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I have to agree.

Anyway, his problem was more a question of dishonesty and hidden motives than it was stupidity.

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There hasn’t yet been a subpoena. The letter was sent to the head of the IRS even though it’s the Secretary of the Treasury that is mentioned in the statute.

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You mean a collective put-the-phone-down moment? Um, I wouldn’t hold my breath. Sorry to be so dark… it’s a bad day.

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…Because the statute says it will be provided on request. Had the subpoena been the first step, they’d have argued that that didn’t meet the statutory requirements…

Remember how he had to send a second letter with a timeline (today), because they played word games that they weren’t non-complying, they were just reviewing the request.

Legalese can be so much entertainment…

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You are quite justified in that feeling. However, most of the actual concern (in terms of large masses of people) is skewed to older forks.

In terms of our government, the operative word I would use is “leverage”. It’s a very easy nut to crack, but it requires actual interest* in the government beyond people like us wonks on this site…or the people who work on campaigns or who protest and demonstrate. There are swaths of folks who think of Trump in terms of dynamics which have a tangential relationship to any of the things we deal with here.

If that interest* had existed, Trump would be in jail at this minute.

I can, in a sense, understand people not paying attention, Trump winning (with nearly half of the population not voting at all), and then more politically aware people aroused and alarmed (re: The “Not My President” post election protests)…

But that “politically aware” percentage of the population should have doubled and tripled…and those individuals should have prevailed upon the Fourth Estate that NEWS (not access-to-politician click-bait) was a DEMAND.

The “government” was, is and will be US.

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