DOJ On McGahn: Courts Have No Role In Fights Between Congress, White House | Talking Points Memo

[katscherger]

What dumbshit came up with this argument? Barr?

[rickjones]

Didn’t Republicans in Congress just give something like 150 speeches about how Trump wasn’t obstructing Congress because the courts were the proper venue to decide disputes between the President and Congress?

And McConnell and other Senate Republicans are saying they won’t subpoena documents and witnesses in a Senate trial because the House should have pursued actions in the Courts to compel production of those documents and for the testimony of those witnesses.

[katscherger]

Did they just, on the record and in open court, deny the role of the judiciary to resolve disputes between the other two branches of government?

As a matter of fact they did.

Dumbfucks.

[drtv]

So Executive Power is unchecked

Only under a Republican President, silly.

[drtv]

Trump wants a banana republic.

When will they run out of appeals?

I see what you did there.

[lastroth]

Someone please correct me if I am wrong but…There is no attorney client privilege between White House counsel and the President?

Just wait until there’s a Congressional investigation into Barr and his DoJ acting as Trump’s defense lawyers.

[katscherger]

Does the court actually take these arguments seriously, or are they just obliged to listen while they blather?

Sometimes there’s a lot of eye rolling going on. Especially when the arguments are as stupid as this.

[southerndem]

DOJ to the courts, Trump is king, his power will be unchecked, Get over it…

[schmed]

Trump wants a banana republic.

When will they run out of appeals?

I see what you did there.

[lastroth]

Well that was against Nixon, we now have Fat Nixon, thus a different kettle of fish all together.

[pshah]

Yes. But that was in that moment. But now it’s this moment, so different rules…even if contradictory. Just don’t think hard about it. At least, that’s their only hope with the Courts.

[brian512]

Only under a Republican President, silly.

As if there would ever be any other kind, if this is allowed to stand.

[juvenal]

Hilariously dumb, desperate argument. Even pro-Repub judges must get ticked off at the absurd, time-wasting arguments they have to address from DOJ. Under Trump, the “J” stands for “Jokers”.

[pshah]

I never thought I’d see the day where we had to sit the freaking DoJ down to watch School House Rock on the three branches of government.

[alyoshakaramazov1]

Tell that to the SCOTUS that ruled Nixon must give over the tapes to congress.

Jesus Christ, these people are fucking stupid.

[wintermoon]

Questions for the lawerly among us:

DOJ … contended that Congress needs to rely on “political remedies, political tools”

1. Does the court actually take these arguments seriously, or are they just obliged to listen while they blather?
2. Why is DoJ even involved in the case, let alone arguing for McGhan and the White House?

were the court to decide on the merits of the case, “there would be case after case” like this.

3. Wouldn’t a decision prevent “case after case?” Isn’t that the point of a decision?

“It won’t be good for the courts and it won’t be good for either of the political branches,” Mooppan said.

4. WTF?

Here’s another: on what basis does Moopan claim that there’s attorney-client privilege for Trump’s communications with McGahn, when McGahn’s communications with Trump and his Trump-ordered silence benefit Trump personally? McGahn’s client was the Office of the President, not the president* himself. That’s a BFD.

[docd]

Can you imagine how difficult it is for people who teach civics to explain anything about the balance of powers?

[krux]

What the actual fuck?

Nothing like having the DOJ arguing that there isn’t that much point to the Judicial Branch.

[old_curmudgeon]

Wait a minute. Didn’t the maladministration go to court to prevent the Orange Excrescence’s tax returns from being turned over to Ways and Means?

[old_curmudgeon]

Checkmate!