Bill Barr Is The Sideshow, Steven Mnuchin Is The One Who Needs To Lose His Job And Go To Jail

[mahatmakanejeeves]

GOVERNMENT

Bill Barr Is The Sideshow, Steven Mnuchin Is The One Who Needs To Lose His Job And Go To Jail
Barr is violating norms, Mnuchin is violating laws.
By ELIE MYSTAL
May 7, 2019 at 3:15 PM

Bill Barr’s odious performance as President Donald Trump’s defense attorney is soaking up a lot of coverage. I get why: he’s stonewalling Congress over the release of the unredacted Mueller report, refusing to testify before the House, and oozing around the lying and obfuscating about what’s actually in the parts of the report we can all read for ourselves. He’s a travesty and the House is right to move to hold him in contempt.

But Barr is not the Trump administration official in open violation of federal law just at the moment. That dubious honor belongs to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. Mnuchin’s failure to hand over Donald Trump’s tax returns to the House Ways and Means Committee is a violation of a clear federal statute, and an unconstitutional violation of separation of powers. Mnuchin should be impeached from his position and thrown in jail for the dereliction of his duties.

Unlike the usual Team Trump strategy of violating norms or ethics or common decency, Mnuchin is in violation of a clear statute that governs the release of tax returns to Congressional committees:

26 U.S. Code § 6103

(f) Disclosure to Committees of Congress
(1) Committee on Ways and Means, Committee on Finance, and Joint Committee on Taxation
Upon written request from the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives, the chairman of the Committee on Finance of the Senate, or the chairman of the Joint Committee on Taxation, the Secretary shall furnish such committee with any return or return information specified in such request, except that any return or return information which can be associated with, or otherwise identify, directly or indirectly, a particular taxpayer shall be furnished to such committee only when sitting in closed executive session unless such taxpayer otherwise consents in writing to such disclosure.

As statutes go, that’s clear as day. Mnuchin shall furnish Ways and Means with the tax returns they request. Mnuchin sent a letter to Congress explaining why he was not complying with their request. He says that Congress is requesting the returns for no legitimate legislative interest. But nowhere does such language appear as a limiting factor in the statute.
....

Hold Barr in contempt, if you like. Mnuchin must be arrested and impeached. We need to find out, right now, if the Capitol Police are loyal to America or Donald Trump.

Mnuchin rejects Hill request to hand over Trump tax returns [NBC]

Elie Mystal is the Executive Editor of Above the Law and a contributor at The Nation. He can be reached @ElieNYC on Twitter, or at [e-mail]. He will resist.

[lagomorph777]

1. Barr is obstructing justice. Both are violating laws.

Lock 'em both in Washington's Tomb under the Capitol!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. G. Washington is buried at Mount Vernon. NT

[lagomorph777]

3. I know - he didn't end up using the spot Congress had furnished.

So they converted it to a jail cell.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. Didn't know that. Thanks. NT

[duforsure]

5. Barr is the new Micheal Cohen,his fixer

willing to do anything,even illegal,like conspiring,obstruction,cover up,and a serial liar too.

[beachbum bob]

6. he is next

[world wide wally]

7. Maybe this will be a wake up call for Mnuchin.

Just depends on how much of his soul Trump has eaten.

[lastlib]

8. Oh, Fuck It, Just throw 'em ALL OUT and be done with him!

We'll be a much better nation for it.