House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler said that Hicks and Trump gave Democrats a huge gift that will help them win in court.
Democrats Set Trump Up with Hope Hicks Testimony
Politico reported:
“It very much played into our hands,†Nadler said in an interview in his Capitol Hill office Thursday. “It’s one thing to tell a judge blanket immunity is not a right thing. It’s another thing when a judge can see what that means in actuality, and how absurd it is.â€
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“That court case is key to everything,†Nadler said. “[Hicks] will be forthcoming only under legal compulsion.â€
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“I understand, obviously, there are people in the press, in Congress and elsewhere saying, ‘Why’d they waste their time with that? What was the point? What’d they accomplish?’†Nadler said. “We knew this was going to happen. The point of it was to dramatize for the court what the implications of this are.â€
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“It’s very useful to show the judge what this means in practical reality… what an incredible assertion of executive supremacy and of congressional irrelevance,†Nadler said.
“In effect what it’s saying is, you can’t really investigate fraud, waste, abuse of power in the White House because anyone in a position to talk about it, we’re blocking,†he added. “And the [Hicks interview] was very useful to give us the record that we can show the judge how extreme it really is.â€
Democrats Have A Plan
Democrats are playing chess, and Trump is playing Candyland. The president only has one strategy, and that is to delay, but his assertion of blanket immunity over all witness testimony was an overplay that is going to cost him everything. All the witnesses that Trump has been obstructing will now have to testify in public before Congress. Once a judge rules in favor of the House Judiciary Committee, Nadler will be able to set the terms of the testimony. There will be no more behind closed doors interviews. It will be public and under oath testimony.
Trump and Hope Hicks got too cute and handed Democrats the evidence that they needed to accelerate their investigations.
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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
