It has been like watching a train wreck in slow motion. The fight between the Trump Administration and the Democratic House of Representatives over access to all of the material and witnesses related to the Mueller Report has been smoldering since AG Barr announced his assessment of the principal conclusions of the Special Counsel's Report and his decision to clear Trump of obstruction of justice.
Democrats in the House have insisted on seeing the full report and all of the evidence which supports its conclusions. In a separate matter, they have also insisted on seeing Trump's personal income tax returns. Heretofore, Trump, Barr and Mnuchin have refused all of these requests and/or subpoenas.
Unfortunately, although the news media and folks inside the beltway are focused on the standoff, the majority of the American public have largely ignored what they perceive to be more of the same (partisan bickering). The reality of the situation, however, is much more serious than almost anyone has so far been willing to acknowledge. In short, if both sides in this battle fail to reach a compromise, the consequences of one or the other side prevailing will be disastrous for our country.
In a rare moment of clarity, Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana gave his assessment of the situation to NBC's Chuck Todd on the Sunday edition of Meet the Press. He said: "If I could make one other point, this business of the dispute between the White House and the House is dangerous to America's institutions. Because if they all go to court -- they need to work it out. If they all go to court, and it becomes a zero-sum game, one of two things is going to happen. Trump's going to win, and that's going to undermine Congress' oversight ability, or Congress is going to win, the House is going to win. And then all of a sudden, the new standard is that the House or the Senate can ask a president or a presidential nominee anything they want to about their personal life, whether it's relevant to being president or not." -- https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/meet-press-transcripts-n51976
In the final analysis, our individual perspective on who should prevail in this standoff is immaterial to the larger question - the consequences for our constitutional system. In short, we should all be praying that Barr and Nadler are able to reach some sort of compromise today (Indeed, we should be hoping that all of the parties involved will be able to make some accommodations to the other side). The life of our republic may depend on it!
Democrats in the House have insisted on seeing the full report and all of the evidence which supports its conclusions. In a separate matter, they have also insisted on seeing Trump's personal income tax returns. Heretofore, Trump, Barr and Mnuchin have refused all of these requests and/or subpoenas.
Unfortunately, although the news media and folks inside the beltway are focused on the standoff, the majority of the American public have largely ignored what they perceive to be more of the same (partisan bickering). The reality of the situation, however, is much more serious than almost anyone has so far been willing to acknowledge. In short, if both sides in this battle fail to reach a compromise, the consequences of one or the other side prevailing will be disastrous for our country.
In a rare moment of clarity, Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana gave his assessment of the situation to NBC's Chuck Todd on the Sunday edition of Meet the Press. He said: "If I could make one other point, this business of the dispute between the White House and the House is dangerous to America's institutions. Because if they all go to court -- they need to work it out. If they all go to court, and it becomes a zero-sum game, one of two things is going to happen. Trump's going to win, and that's going to undermine Congress' oversight ability, or Congress is going to win, the House is going to win. And then all of a sudden, the new standard is that the House or the Senate can ask a president or a presidential nominee anything they want to about their personal life, whether it's relevant to being president or not." -- https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/meet-press-transcripts-n51976
In the final analysis, our individual perspective on who should prevail in this standoff is immaterial to the larger question - the consequences for our constitutional system. In short, we should all be praying that Barr and Nadler are able to reach some sort of compromise today (Indeed, we should be hoping that all of the parties involved will be able to make some accommodations to the other side). The life of our republic may depend on it!
