Discussion: Schiff Floats Idea Of Fining Trump Officials Held In Contempt $25,000 A Day

[Ken_a_roni]

I propose the House hires Red Foreman as the Sargent at arms. Imagine Red promising to put his foot into Barr’s (and others) ass!

[dont]

The greatest hurt you can do to a rethug is to hit her/him in the wallet.

[jonney_5]

More importantly, is that Schiff is coming around to admitting that formal impeachment proceedings provide additional powers that Congress can use to get information.

Now if Schiff could just get off the counter-productive “Trump is defying congress, and is going to force us to impeach him” crap, and say “Russia attacked us. Trump tried to cover it up. We need to start an impeachment inquiry”…

Its Friday now. If we consider the change in language over just this week, considerable progress has been made.

[zlj2011]

Just imagine if we’d started this 3 months ago… anyway. Let’s DO IT. I say make it 100k per day. Why waste a few extra days needlessly.

[cervantes]

It is done through payroll. Elijah Cummings has talked about this.

May convince some government employees.

But Schiff is talking about a fine of $25K per day. How much leverage does he have after two or three weeks?

[dont]

Put a lien on the bastards.

[bunnyvelour]

Garnish wages? Liens on property? Dangling over some alligators?

[dont]

I do like the alligator dangle.

[justruss]

For grins, what about booting or impounding their vehicles?

Or better.

A 500,000 person march on their homesteads. Everyone brings a roll of TP.

Wait, that is a not a legal process. But I can imagine it. It is a pleasant image.

[zenicetus]

Yes, but the underlying question remains: How will they enforce payment of this fine?

Payroll deductions ordered by a judge, I would think, when it’s inevitably challenged in court.

I think it’s good optics for the Dems to go this route vs. attempting jail time. Less likely to be seen as vindictive or purely political. It bypasses DOJ, and it emphasizes the House’s role in the power of the purse. I just wonder how long it could be stalled with court challenges and appeals. It’s a toothless move if it can be stalled into the summer of next year.

[ralph_vonholst]

Put “the squeeze on them” with a 20 foot reticulate python.

[cervantes]

Payroll deductions ordered by a judge, I would think, when it’s inevitably challenged in court.

Even with a judge’s approval, there’s a hard limit to how much you can deduct from someone’s salary …

If you’re deducting at the rate of $25K per day, you run into that limit fairly soon.

Then what do you do?

[ralph_vonholst]

I’m inclined to think that the term “adaptive management” is useful here. Much of what is happening is unprecedented and Democrats are going to have to constantly adapt their approach toward an ever more norm destroying administration. Some things may not be effective. Ultimately it may come down to swaying public opinion and, quite honestly, manipulating the press, many members of whom appear to love to be manipulated.

[paul_lukasiak]

Its Friday now. If we consider the change in language over just this week, considerable progress has been made.

I’m afraid I see it as one step forward, but two steps back.

yes, its good that there seems to be movement toward impeachment. (one step forward)

but IMHO, right now impeachment will be pointless unless its focused on the Trump cover up of the Russia attack (one step back) and counter-productive if the focus of impeachment is on Trump’s defiance of Congress’s oversight prerogatives. (second step back).

[heirball]

How about this, put arrest warrants out for all of them and any sympathetic staff and the next time they get pulled over going through Delaware or someplace the cop throws them in the slammer for that warrant? How about this maybe, go to some magazine place and pull the subscription cards for hundreds of magazines and send them to Bill Barr’s house? like these:

[zenicetus]

2. This sets a precedent for the GOP to use when it gains power — every garden variety invocation of executive privilege will be subject to massive fines levied against those who are merely obeying the dictates of a president in an oversight investigation.

That’s a good point. However, we’re in a place now where the Dems are running out of options short of impeachment, which is still a risky move (IMO) with Independents still not on board. And the clock is ticking for summer of 2020 when everything will be put on hold, so as not to “influence the election” (sigh).

I know the obvious answer is just to start impeachment ASAP, which strengthens every move the Dems can do. I still worry about the public support for it, and how that affects the 2020 election. The WH and the Republican party at large is foaming at the mouth, hoping the Dems will start impeachment. They’re sure it can be weaponized against us, especially with “exoneration, yet again” for Trump in the Senate. That doesn’t mean they’re right, but it’s something to consider.

[jayhawk67]

That is a good start. The next step should be to find a solid reason to subpoena Mick Muvaney.

[imkmu3]

I like the way you think.

[zenicetus]

Even with a judge’s approval, there’s a hard limit to how much you can deduct from someone’s salary …

If you’re deducting at the rate of $25K per day, you run into that limit fairly soon.

Then what do you do?

Then a court-ordered fine instead? I dunno, this is getting into an area above my pay grade.

[fargo116]

Well, yes, but an even BIGGER motivator is their own asses.

Right now, Whiny is trying to run out the clock. Throwing his minions into a jail cell – particularly with rather hard-looking black people because these clowns are such racists they think EVERY black person in jail is a slavering rapist who will cornhole them to death the second the lights go out – would not only be satisfying to see but it would scare them into producing the documents tout suite.