Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
DOJ attorneys just spent almost an hour being yelled at by a federal judge for telling other lawyers not to comply with a congressional subpoena even while arresting a Trump advisor for that very same thing.
Having learned nothing, the DOJ is fighting a congressional request for the Biden special counsel interview ‘tape’ on the grounds that, well, they don’t like Congress who are a bunch of meanies and anyway can’t we talk about something else? Like women’s basketball? Or the eclipse? Or the speed at which paint dries.
The Justice Department rejected a request from two Republican-led House committees that it turn over an audio recording of former special counsel Robert Hur’s interview with President Joe Biden.
The department said the committees had not identified an “investigative purpose” for their request of the audio and accused them of “escalation” and of seeking conflict “for conflict’s sake,” according to a letter sent to Chairs Jim Jordan and James Comer on Monday and obtained by CBS News.
I’m not familiar with the legal doctrine that allows the DOJ to determine that it won’t comply with a congressional request because it decides that House members are just seeking conflict.
99% of House hearings (at least the interesting ones) are pretty much that. As is much of politics. The whole point of having different branches of government is to have checks and balances.
The DOJ does not get to pick a fight with Congress. No more than it gets to pick one with POTUS. But that ship sailed once the administrative state decided that it runs the government and elected officials (never mind voters) are surplus.
The real story though is that Biden’s people don’t want the tape released. And the DOJ was told to stall. Why not?
The House Oversight Committee said in a statement, “The Biden Administration does not get to determine what Congress needs and does not need for its oversight of the executive branch.”
“It’s curious the Biden Administration is refusing to release the audio of President Biden’s interview with the Special Counsel after releasing the transcript,” the committee’s statement continued. “Why shouldn’t the American people be able to hear the actual audio of his answers? The American people demand transparency from their leaders, not obstruction.”
Two possible reasons.
1. There’s a difference between the recordings and the transcript. And that could be a crime.
2. Biden’s people are worried that the recordings will be used in the election.
But, as the House Oversight Committee said, who cares? That particular battle was lost in the early 70s. Congressional Democrats decided to destroy Nixon by demanding and making the White House recording system into a boogeyman and evidence of corruption. They had to have the tapes and they got them. It’s much too late for the DOJ to protest that Biden’s ‘tapes’ have to be kept secret. The only difference is Nixon’s DOJ people resigned. Every single Biden DOJ stooge will fight to the death, not for Biden, but to maintain the corrupt rule of their party.
Has Biden learned nothing from Nixon?
Doog says
Problem is the Republicans routinely don’t have the testicles to make a huge Noise about this,. so naturally the dems, the media, and the public don’t care . So,there is no comparison to Watergate.. In General, Republicans are cowards!
Mickorn says
Probably because there are clearly defined criteria for when and for what reasons the DOJ is allowed to reject a particular request from Congress. Probably Greenfield is not too familiar with the specific procedures because, well, he just pretends to be an expert on things he actually knows nothing about.
BLSinSC says
You have a point and that point is IF the EVIDENCE is DAMAGING to a DEMONcrat!
Jeff Bargholz says
The DOJ. A presidential cabinet and subject to his whims.
Too bad President Trump didn’t treat it that way. I really love paying over seven dollars a gallon for gas and an extra thousand dollars for rent.
Fucking Dirtbagocrats. You’re a bane on humanity and you know it.
Nikolaos Halkides says
Don’t you find it interesting that the DOJ didn’t try to invoke Executive Privilege? The precedent of the Nixon tapes would of course have been against them, something you apparently didn’t know. Instead, they had to make the ludicrous claim of “No investigative purpose” when in fact it is obvious that the tape could be material evidence both of Biden’s mental incompetence and of actual crimes he committed (relating to the documents he left lying around his garage and the bribes he accepted from China and other countries).
Feel free to thank me for the free legal education I’m giving you – you are now slightly less ignorant than you used to be.
Steven Kardas says
Still waiting for the useless Republicans, as a group, to go stark raving berserk about and issue, any issue…..still waiting. So useless……
Kasandra says
Translation DOJ to English: We aren’t going to release the recording because, if we did, it would prove harmful to The Party.
SPURWING PLOVER says
If their going to behave like this then the whole Dept of Jstice need to be cleaned and Fumigated to remove the stench of Liberalism
Chief Mac says
More evidence of the absolute corruption of the DOJ – it must be disbanded and all personnel fired and jialed
Bryan says
Quote: The department said the committees had not identified an “investigative purpose” for their request of the audio and…
Congress is conducting an impeachment inquiry. That is a legislative purpose that bears directly on Biden keeping classified documents in non approved storage after his Senate days. Audio vs transcript tells exactly what Biden said.
Martina Vaslovik says
I don’t recall congress making any mean tweets…