Mulvaney allies try to stonewall Democrats' impeachment inquiry

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Washington Post



One of acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney’s top allies is preparing to deliver what President Trump wants but has failed to achieve so far in the impeachment inquiry: unquestioning loyalty from administration staff.

Russell Vought, a Mulvaney protege who leads the White House Office of Management and Budget, intends a concerted defiance of congressional subpoenas in coming days, and two of his subordinates will follow suit — simultaneously proving their loyalty to the president and a creating a potentially critical firewall regarding the alleged use of foreign aid to elicit political favors from a U.S. ally.

The OMB is at the nexus of the impeachment inquiry because Democrats are pressing for details about why the White House budget office effectively froze the Ukraine funds that Congress had already appropriated.

Congressional Republicans are also predicting that Mulvaney’s deputy, Robert Blair, will refuse to show for his scheduled Monday appearance before impeachment investigators — though a White House spokesman and Blair’s attorney, Whit Ellerman, did not respond to questions about his plans. Blair was on the July 25 phone call when Trump asked Ukraine’s president for a “favor” investigating former vice president Joe Biden, a 2020 presidential contender.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2019/11/03/mulvaney-allies-lead-stonewall-against-democrats-impeachment-inquiry/

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Well then lock 'em up! Vought is a religious nut job.

[Turbineguy]

1. I hope he's remembered to ask his wife,

"Will you wait for me while I'm in jail?"

[BlueIdaho]

2. Fucking Nazi. nt.

[lavenderdiva]

3. Is there a reason the Dems are not jailing these witnesses

Who refuse to comply with these subpoenas?

Seems like a few weeks in the slammer would help. Maybe not.....

[BumRushDaShow]

5. To execute "inherent contempt" in this modern era

has some major logistical issues that would need to be worked out, so it is actually easier (although it takes longer) to do it through the courts. The main reason being that Congress is not a "criminal law enforcement" entity.

[Marcuse]

4. Call their bluff.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

6. Would this concerted effort constitute a conspiracy to obstruct?

Asking for a few million like-minded friends........

[Hugin]

9. Yeah, the headline is uh, well... Normalizing.

But, that's the status quo with the media since this whole clusterf k began.

"Stonewall" should be replaced with "obstruct".

[beachbumbob]

7. sooner or later officials will be FORCED to appear and they can either talk or plead the 5th

I am betting on the 5th

and when this happens, the GOP is so sunk that holding or not holding a trial in the Senate will not matter at all

[crickets]

8. Ah, here's a tidbit buried further in the article...

Vought was immediately told of the president’s decision to scuttle the aid and agreed with some other top advisers that it was legal, two administration officials said. Michael Duffey, one of Vought’s subordinates who has also been called to testify on Tuesday and who controls foreign aid decisions in the OMB, signed the OMB document freezing the Ukraine aid, according to the administration officials. Duffey is OMB’s associate director for national security programs.

The guy with the pen to paper is Michael Duffey - no wonder he won't testify either. It sounds like they all just put their heads together and decided it was legal. Ya know, over a cup of coffee as you do. *facepalm* It bears repeating: the word 'unbelievable' is losing all meaning these days.