Mitch McConnell is a liar
by digby
Surprise!
He said this morning that the congress has always gone to court to resolve disputes with the executive branch in impeachment and that impeaching Trump for obstructing congress is beyond the pale.
Here is the third article of the impeachment of Richard Nixon:
ARTICLE III, DEFIANCE OF SUBPOENAS. (Approved 21-17)
In his conduct of the office of President of the United States, Richard M. Nixon, contrary to his oath faithfully to execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has failed without lawful cause or excuse to produce papers and things as directed by duly authorized subpoenas issued by the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives on April 11, 1974, May 15, 1974, May 30, 1974, and June 24, 1974, and willfully disobeyed such subpoenas. …
The court cases that shook loose the tapes were filed by the special prosecutor in the cover up investigations, not the congress. We don’t have that now because Barr had Mueller close up shop and Barr refuses to take up the Ukraine crimes. Theoretically, SDNY could expand its prove into Parnas, Furman and Giuliani in to Trump but I’m guessing none of that will happen any time soon. (And if Barr has anything to say about it it never will.)
The Clinton impeachment likewise was litigated by the special prosecutor through the civil grand jury — and Clinton gave in long before it wended its way through the courts. He gave his blood fergawdsakes!
The congress debated all this during Nixon and there are subsequent findings n impeachment from the 1980s and the 1990s which conclude that the House has the sole power to determine the terms of impeachment.
McConnell’s packed courts are the GOP backstop that will be keeping their fire burning long after they are relegated to a permanent minority.
Democrats know this and they aren’t going to defer any of their power to them if they don’t have to.
You can see the outlines of many coming battles here. It’s not pretty.
I hope you will check in here at Hullabaloo as we try to sort all this out during this tumultuous time. I don’t think it’s ever been more important to stick together.
You can count on us to keep an eye on this unfolding drama seven days a week even when you find it too stressful to do it yourselves. If you have he means to help support this blog for another year, I would be very grateful.
Again, thank you so much for reading and supporting my work all these years. It means the world to me. — digby
And Happy Hollandaise everyone!