White House counsel to House Dems: No "do-over" on Trump investigations

[spanone]

White House counsel Pat Cipollone said that Congress has no right to a "do-over" of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation and other investigations undertaken by the Justice Department in a letter sent to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday.

Why it matters: Cipollone's letter will further escalate the war between the Trump administration and House Democrats, who are attempting to obtain the unredacted copy of Mueller's report as well as access to the sources and witnesses that helped to form its conclusions.

The key quote from Cipollone's letter:

"Congressional investigations are intended to obtain information to aid in evaluating potential legislation, not to harass political opponents or to pursue an unauthorized 'do-over' of exhaustive law enforcement investigations conducted by the Department of Justice."
The big picture: While the letter does not invoke executive privilege over any of the documents requested — and leaves the door open to a more narrow request from House Democrats — White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said last week that President Trump "has no other option than to make a protective assertion of executive privilege" over the full, unredacted Mueller report itself.

https://www.axios.com/pat-cipollone-letter-house-judiciary-mueller-report-do-over-f0e7a4f8-8cd4-4423-9224-c900603fdf74.html?stream=politics&utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=alerts_politics

[Shrike47]

1. Like the White House gets to make the rules?

No do-overs on Hillary Clinton?

[spanone]

2. They are basically telling the house dems to go fuck themselves they will get nothing.

[Eliot Rosewater]

27. And as long as 45 million Americans are no good FUCKING TRAITORS, they will get away with it

[NewJeffCT]

3. How many "do overs" did Republicans get

with Benghazi? 8?
with Vince Foster? 6?

[A DAY IN THE LIFE]

4. Then give them the unredacted mueller report and

Trump's taxes. Oh, and Barr's resignation.

[Wellstone ruled]

5. It is becoming more

apparent by the day that,the John Birch Society wannabe's and the Libertarian Tea Party have joined forces to cripple the norms of our Government.

Sure looks like Steve Bannon is a the heart of this garbage.

[ETStevens]

6. Time to Get Ruthless

Arrest them if they disobey the law and start impeachment!

[Chin music]

7. Please Congress

get up to speed on denying monies to fund these things. That's an inherent power for a reason. NO gop will lift a finger without getting paid. Getting paid from gop donors sounds like a private investigation, not sufficient use of govt resources and staff. STOP PAYING (Putting quarters in the ass kicking machine), They'd do t to us....in a heartbeat. Trying times these.
We haven't even heard the full mueller report yet. We're essentially talking a trumps word for an investigation of themselves. That's not how justice is doled out here in the United States. We need complete disclosure of the mueller report THEN we'll decide on the next step. Bc, WE are the People, Atricle One, and WE pay the taxes and elect folks to represent our desires. WE the People are tired of gop largese on the backs of Americans while we can't even get funds for healthcare and good roads and bridges and water.

[elleng]

8. Looks like this is warm up for court test:

'"Congressional investigations are intended to obtain information to aid in evaluating potential legislation.'

[Doreen]

9. Well, that is just fine.

Even a report came out I have a feeling they never actually closed it. They said no "do over" but nothing about "no continuation."

[muntrv]

10. Use the power of the purse, Congress.

[uponit7771]

11. They can talk all they want to now, let them go against court orders ... then we'll see.

[spanone]

12. I fully expect they will.

[uponit7771]

14. THEN ... dems can technically call things a constitutional crisis. I don't think even Red Don's ...

... I don't think even Red Don's sycophants are going to be able to cogently* defend going against the judicial and congressional branches.

We'll see ...

Nixon's started dropping when things went to court ... we'll see

[spanone]

15. I think nixon, evil as he was, respected the courts and law....trump? not so much.

as you say, we'll see.

[DeminPennswoods]

17. So far, they have respected court decisions

I suspect the reason Jr caved on appearing is the threat of a contempt citation that had enough teeth to put him in the slammer.

They are obviously spoiling for a fight or to push Dems into impeachment hearings, but they should be careful what they wish for here.

[uponit7771]

18. +1, if we watch what they do and not what they say they've not bumped against the courts too ...

... much from the beginning of he and Putin's reign.

They are obviously spoiling for a fight or to push Dems into impeachment hearings, but they should be careful what they wish for here.

THIS !!!

I don't trust for a split second these guys know what they're doing when it comes to impeachment, they're bluffing ... and they're stupid.

[DeminPennswoods]

34. Stupid and arrogant

generally a bad combination.

[oasis]

13. We'll just see about that shit.

[GoCubsGo]

16. Awww, bless their hearts!

They think this is a "do-over." How precious! No, you fucking assholes. They want to see what's been done already, and what you are doing your damnedest to try to hide from the American people. Go fuck yourselves.

[malaise]

19. Congress runs Congress

The House will get the unredacted Mueller Report.

[a kennedy]

21. They better damn it......I am just sick and tired of this deny, deny, deny.

I WANT SOMETHING TO HAPPEN AND I WANT IT NOW.....not after it’s been back and forth through the courts. I WANT ACTION NOW. Prison, huge fines something. I just don’t think I can wait until Election Day when the fat orange ass gets kicked out of my house.

[woodsprite]

28. Oh, Malaise! You have so much more faith in the process than I can muster right now.

Some days I'm OK, but those days are getting fewer and fewer as the time wears on.

[malaise]

31. Impeachment proceedings are coming

Won't be long

[Volaris]

20. Lol then the Dems answer should be very simple:

We're investigating a piece of legislation that says a sitting president can be indicted, but need more information before we can decide if such a bill is warranted. There. Bar met. Now do as you're told, or fuck off and go to jail.

Smdh what dopes his lawyers are...

[Tom Rinaldo]

22. There are multiple ways of fighting back to this, but Impeachment is bullet proof.

It is the constitutionally identified remedy for Congress to pursue if it feels the grounds exist to remove a president for office, and an impeachment inquiry is a means to gather and evaluate evidence toward that end.

Cipollone wrote: "Congressional investigations are intended to obtain information to aid in evaluating potential legislation..."

Impeachment is a constitutionally identified role that falls on Congress to pursue when it feels it to be warranted. It does not involve "evaluating potential legislation".

[Nevilledog]

23. How can they exert executive privilege over something they haven't seen?

WH denies seeing the full report or the underlying evidence. You can't cry executive privilege over information you allegedly have never seen. Makes their argument even more ludicrous.

[ScratchCat]

24. Sigh...

Neither the Executive Branch nor the Judicial Branch get to decide what "legislative purposes" means. Its up to Congress to define that if there is supposed to be a limit.

[EffieBlack]

25. I love how the House letting these people hang themselves with their own rope

[Thomas Hurt]

26. Oversight and impeachment hearings are not a do over of the same thing.

Lying sack...

[Baitball Blogger]

29. Trump to House:

I am neutering your congressional authority. Accept the Barr-slanted opinion on the Mueller case or I'll burn your house down like a Mad Queen riding a fiery dragon.

[VOX]

30. "No do-overs"? WTF is this, grammar school? And it's to "not harass political opponents"???

HARASSMENT is Trump's stock-in-trade. It's all he's got, badmouthing everyone and everything, constantly.

White House counsel Pat Cipollone is a personal friend of Laura Ingraham, for what that's worth. Another deplorable asshole in the mix.

[anarch]

32. they are basically just seizing power at this point, and saying "what are you gonna do about it?"

"Oh, that's right, nothing, because we control the Senate and the courts! And the Army too, when it comes down to it..."

So, here we are. What indeed are we gonna do?

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

33. Since when is the WH alowed to tell Congress what the purpose of its investigations is limited to?

Cipollone: "Congressional investigations are intended to obtain information to aid in evaluating potential legislation, not to harass political opponents or to pursue an unauthorized 'do-over' of exhaustive law enforcement investigations conducted by the Department of Justice."

As an independent and co-equal branch of government, Congress can determines how it does its business, and what investigations it considers necessary to determine whether the country is safe under the stewardship of a man who has been described as a possible Russian asset.

[kentuck]

35. Bull!

The Democrats were in the minority until February of this year. They took control of the House after Trump ended his government shutdown. So they have been in control for less than 4 months.


Before that, Mueller was doing his investigation and Republicans were in charge of the House.

There is no "do-over"!

They are doing it the first time.