White House invents new excuse to stop former staff from talking to Congress

[turbinetree]

By
Lisa Needham -July 9, 2019

The White House keeps coming up with new ways to block its former employees from speaking about Trump's efforts to obstruct justice.

Another former White House employee has wasted the time of the House Judiciary Committee.

Annie Donaldson, former chief of staff to now-departed White House counsel Don McGahn, refused to answer over 200 questions from the committee. And she did so by invoking a type of privilege that seems to have been invented just for her.

For most of her refusals, Donaldson said that the White House had ordered her not to answer "because of the constitutionally-based Executive Branch confidentiality interests that are implicated."

No one knows what that means. There's no such formally recognized "constitutionally-based Executive Branch confidentiality" privilege that she or the White House can invoke. Functionally, it's just a long way of saying she won't answer the questions because the White House told her not to do so.

https://shareblue.com/white-house-invents-new-excuse-block-former-staff-congress/


LOCK HER ASS UP............................

[leftieNanner]

1. The only way this will change

is if we indeed DO LOCK PEOPLE UP. As with everything in this off-the-rails administration, until there are genuine consequences for their behavior, they will continue to do this.

Geez! Anyone with a recalcitrant child knows that sensible and firm consequences are the only way to change things.

[bahrbearian]

2. Susan McDougal

[MadLinguist]

6. For real!

McDougal goes to jail, and people had conniption fits about Bill Clinton's "meaning of is". That phrase was a mere square knot in comparison to whatever that garbled string of gibberish Donaldson uttered was.

[uponit7771]

8. +1

[katiewritescode]

3. And the House dems will do.... nothing.

Boy Trump is certainly self-impeaching, huh Nancy? :/

[spanone]

4. Bullshitter-in-Chief

Until they start fining these people NOTHING WILL HAPPEN.

[malaise]

5. Until the House calls the Marshal to lock up these people

this shit will continue

[Crunchy Frog]

7. They'll invoke it for as long as they're allowed to get away with it.

Honestly, if the sides were reversed, how do you think the Rs would be handling it?

[Stinky The Clown]

10. How would the Rs be handling it?

[Volaris]

11. The white house would be empty because of all the people in jail

[Stinky The Clown]

13. Can you please clarify your comment?

Also, please expand on there details of the strategy.

Thank you.

[Volaris]

14. If this were a democratic administration pulling this shit with a GOP House

They would have emptied the building via arrests for contempt citations already .

[Stinky The Clown]

15. They never did that in the past

In my view, saying how the GOP would deal with Democrats if roles were reversed is little better than Democrat bashing.

Who is going to do the arresting for contempt? How, exactly, would that happen?

[FiveGoodMen]

9. Do they really need new ways?

They've been doing fine with the old ones.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

12. Dayumn!!!... I expect a sternly worded letter any time now. nt