With the Census Bureau days away from likely missing a year-end deadline for turning in numbers used for divvying up congressional seats, President Donald Trump’s administration still hasn’t turned over documents showing how it’s crunching the data on a shortened schedule, according to a coalition of cities and civil rights groups.
The political realities of America were horrible before Trump, and if Mitch retains control, they will be horrible after Trump. But at least we won’t have to endure the politics of teenage spite and toddler tantrums 24/7. This is just one of the things I am grateful for this morning.
Trump administration attorneys said in court papers that they’ve already turned over large numbers of documents, and the ones they haven’t are not releasable. Releasing them would hinder frank discussions during decision-making if participants feared public disclosure and may violate attorney-client privilege, according to Department of Justice lawyers representing the Census Bureau and the Department of Commerce, which oversees the statistical agency.
Translation from DOJ weasel-speak:
We already dumped a ton of other docs on them.
The remaining docs are embarrassing and/or illegal stuff.
We’re not actually invoking attorney-client for any of them and have by no means identified any withheld documents on a privilege log as required by FRCP 26(b)(5).
You know things are on the up and up when a Constitutionally required process has to be hidden from the courts. Why hide a discussion if it is legitimate?
Releasing them would hinder frank discussions during decision-making if participants feared public disclosure and may violate attorney-client privilege,
Because I always bring my attorney to work to help me cook the books.
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals just issued three opinions where Judge Garland was on the panel but did not participate in the final disposition. The likelihood he’s the AG nominee just went up 1,000,000%.
He’s 68 years old and eligible to take senior status, he was a long-time DOJ guy before Clinton appointed him to the bench, and it’s a far more consequential position than being a judge anywhere other than the Supreme Court.
That said, this would be a really bad pick unless we win the Georgia races. Mitch McConnell will hold that seat open indefinitely.