Accountability is finally coming to the Trump administration. Its members should be terrified

[dajoki]

Accountability is finally coming to the Trump administration. Its members should be terrified.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2018/11/12/accountability-is-finally-coming-to-the-trump-administration-its-members-should-be-terrified/?utm_term=.2e8da94b0cde

<<snip>>

When Republicans inevitably begin whining that Democrats are being too aggressive in all this oversight, remember how they be-clowned themselves through the Obama years, trying to gin up one phony scandal after another, including mounting seven, yes, seven separate investigations of Benghazi. We can and should have vigorous debates about what is being uncovered, how to understand it and what should be done about it. But the last thing we should do is waste our time arguing about whether there are too many investigations.

So, yes, it’s all political — just like everything else Congress does. But that doesn’t make it any less legitimate, especially given how Republicans have utterly abandoned their oversight responsibilities for the past two years.

If the Trump administration is a bastion of integrity and public-spiritedness, that’s what the investigations will reveal. And if the president himself has displayed nothing but the highest ethical standards and respect for law throughout his career, that’s what we’ll learn. The sense of dread spreading over the White House and the Republican Party right now isn’t because they think House Democrats will waste everyone’s time with these investigations; it’s because they know there’s so much misbehavior to be uncovered. The public deserves to see and understand all of it, and if that winds up hurting Republicans, they have only themselves to blame.

[JHB]

1. Not just during the Obama years...

They spent another 8 years hyping bullshit scandals against the Clinton administration in order to keep "investigation" and "corruption" headlining the news cycle as much as possible.

They threw turdball after turdball at the Clintons hoping some fleck would stick. What didn't stick sloughed off around their feet and generated a great fogbank of steam. Republicans then dutifully pointed at the cloud with alarm and said "Where there's smoke...".

It's been their operating system since Poppy Bush portrayed his opponent as draft-dodgin' dope-smokin' loyalty-renouncin' Hippy Bill (and beside him, Ultrafeminist Harpy Hillary). WoooOOOOOoooo!

[DownriverDem]

8. Hate goal too

repubs spent all those years attacking Hillary knowing down the line she might run. It worked too. Too many folks were against Hillary only because of the repubs attacking her year after year. If there is a hell repubs will all be rotting there.

[PatSeg]

10. Yes

That seems to be the only thing republicans do well, investigate their opponents. They sure don't know how to govern.

[duforsure]

2. All republicans , especially those in Congress

Should be terrified because they will be exposed , all of them , for their crimes, and all will be held fully accountable. That's why they are doing nothing to stop trump, they're all involved in election corruption and fraud, and with putin and trump too.

[DownriverDem]

9. Yep

repubs in the House and Senate all took money from the russians. Follow the money is so true.

[Politicub]

16. And republican representatives will be put on record

for voting against healthcare, voting rights and civil rights.

[unblock]

3. lost among the endless hillary investigations is the *purpose* of congressional investigations.

congress was not given the power to investigate so that they could smear their political opponents. that may be a consequence of given congress that power, but it was certainly not the intended purpose.

the *reason* was so that congress could make an informed decision as to actions they could take to correct problems.
pass laws.
change funding (up, down, redirected, etc.)
impeach people in a position to impeach
change how they confirm appointments.
etc.

with the hillary investigations there was none of this, there was never any of this.

did they spend one minute talking about increasing funding to embassies because of benghazi?
did they spend one minute talking about changing policies regarding email servers?

nope, none of this, afaik. or if they did, it certainly got very little airtime.

all of which reveals that it was never actually about *oversight*.

it was always about smearing hillary.



democratic investigations, on the other hand, look to hold a sitting president accountable, and the investigations could lead to many changes in laws to prevent the kind of abuse donnie and his gang of bumbling crooks have gotten away with. conceivably impeachment as well, though less likely. in any event, investigating a sitting officeholder is different from investigating a candidate who is no longer working for the federal government in any capacity....

[vlyons]

5. Elijah Cummings, Adam Schiff, and Maxine Waters have all said that

they will exercise their oversight responsibility and power in a judicial and appropriate manner. And I believe them. We will see a disciplined and ethical use of oversight, as opposed to GOP political witch hunts. Of course, Republicans will call it a witch hunt, and then the subpoenas will reveal the trails of GOP corruption and deceit. It won't be pretty.

[unblock]

6. and the media will faithfully report "both sides"

and even assuming donnie breaks all records in terms of number of administration indicments, convictions, etc. (if he hasn't already), many people will remember the investigations as "controversial" and some will always insist they were "witch hunts" and "politically motivated payback".

we will not truly overcome the problems until the republican power base shrinks even further. the demographic changes can't come fast enough.

[smirkymonkey]

4. It's payback time!

Suck it up motherfuckers!

[Racerdog1]

7. Mcturdmouth

Needs a little investigation into his actions, or better yet, his inaction against the orange anus's love affair with Pootin.

[lunatica]

11. I hope the Democrats hit the floor at a dead run in January

A karmic adjustment is overdue on the entire Trump Administration AND on the Republican Party.

[lindysalsagal]

13. I honestly hope they hire a tv strategist to parcel it out so that we OWN the news cycles

for the next 2 years, straight. That will make the frump cabal blow themselves up.

[lunatica]

14. I agree because he will never stop attacking them

His little thumbs will get Twitter cramps from overuse.

[NoMoreRepugs]

15. Great point. Is there a "media" version of Avenatti out there?

Someone who is articulate, unafraid to engage and deals in facts vs perception?

[lindysalsagal]

12. They clearly are terrified, and I couldn't be happier.