Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 02:52 pm
According to Norm Eisen, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s threat to telecom companies not to turn over his phone records meets the elements of obstruction of justice.
Kevin McCarthy May Be Criminally Attempting To Block The Release Of His Phone Records.
Video of Norm Eisen on CNN’s New Day:
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On #NewDay @NormEisen says McCarthy's threat to telecom companies meets the elements of obstruction of justice, "it meets the elements of obstruction. It's a threat. It's an attempt to stop them through that threat from turning over documents." pic.twitter.com/iyZHItSx4Q
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) September 1, 2021
Eisen said when asked about the potential criminality of McCarthy’s threat on CNN’s New Day:
It meets the elements of obstruction. It’s a threat. It’s an attempt to stop them through that threat from turning over documents. It’s self-motivated. It’s corrupt, and McCarthy is worried about what may be in those records on him and on members of his caucus. It’s always a challenge when you have legislative activity, and note that he did this on his official Twitter account. You have protection under the constitution for legislators, the speech and debate clause. There will be a debate about that.Â
But the House ethics rules, Rule 23 prohibits any behavior that brings discredit upon the House. What could be more discreditable than threatening companies that if they comply with the law, they’ll be punished when McCarthy has the ability to do that. So, I think there’s a serious ethics issue and then legal issues potentially that need to be explored as well.Â
Eisen is correct. It will be debated whether or not attempted to obstruct justice is part of McCarthy’s official legislative duties because he issued the threat on his work Twitter account, but it isn’t a part of Congress’s job to threaten phone companies into hiding incriminating evidence.
McCarthy has stumbled down the Trump path of criminality, but the House Minority Leader doesn’t have blanket immunity from prosecution, unlike Trump did.
Kevin McCarthy is so desperate to hide his phone records that he is willing to break the law to protect himself and Trump.
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
