On CNN’s New Day, House Intelligence Committee ranking member Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said that Republicans are allowing figures in the Russia investigation like Donald Trump Jr. to avoid answering questions by invoking flimsy privilege claims.
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Schiff said, “Unfortunately, I think the committee has set a precedent that if witnesses make any flimsy claim of privlige then the House or the Senate will back away. For example, we have seen the Attorney General, not just in the House, but in the Senate too, make an assertion that they were not going to answer questions about conversations, not because they were invoking privlidge, in those case, but because they thought the President ultimately might invoke privilege, sort of a privilege to potentially invoke privilege. There’s no such thing, but as long as the House and Senate fail to act and insist then we create this new opportunity to evade oversight.”
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The message behind Rep. Schiff’s comments was that there are ways for the Republican-controlled committees to hold hearings, but not do a comprehensive investigation. By accepting, Trump Jr.’s laughable attorney/client privilege claim, Republicans are putting limits on the investigation in order to protect Trump and his family.
A real and legit Congressional investigation of Trump and his family isn’t going to happen until Democrats control Congress.
The precedent Republicans are creating is sending a loud and clear message that they are going to turn a blind eye to everything Trump and his administration do. The only way to end this farce is to elect Democrats in 2018.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
