Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) zeroed in on the real culprit who is allowing Trump to go a Nixonian attack against the FBI. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) should be very afraid because the blame for not stopping Trump is falling on him.
Schiff wrote in a Washington Post op-ed:
However, unlike President Richard Nixon, who waged his Watergate fight without the same kind of vocal allies, Trump not only has an entire media ecosystem dedicated to shielding him from accountability but also senior Republicans who on the Hill have cast aside their duty to uphold the law and perform oversight in favor of protecting the Trump presidency — no matter the cost. Nunes may have wielded the committee gavel here, but the ultimate responsibility lies with House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), who lacked the courage to stop him.
Ryan, who has never served on the Intelligence Committee, seems not to understand the central bargain underpinning the creation of the intelligence committees after Watergate. In exchange for the intelligence community’s willingness to reveal closely guarded national secrets to a select group of members and staff for the purposes of oversight, the committees and the congressional leadership pledged to handle that information responsibly and without regard to politics.
During Trump’s first year in office, Ryan was able to dodge accountability by claiming that he is only focused on the House, but as it has become clear that the Speaker has passively enabled Trump stooge, Intelligence Committee chair Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) to act as Trump’s personal stooge in undermining the Russia investigation, more scrutiny has fallen on Ryan.
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The rumors are getting louder that Paul Ryan is going to retire after the midterm election. In one respect, it would be a shame if Ryan retired. He and Mitch McConnell have been protecting Trump from the Russia scandal. It would be wonderful to see Speaker Ryan held accountable for his action.
As Republican flee Congress ahead of the blue wave, Paul Ryan needs to be afraid because more and more people are learning about efforts to destroy his own country.
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
