Trump’s Ongoing War On Congressional Oversight

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | MAY 22, 2019

“In the end, this is likely to end up in the Supreme Court and provide a profound challenge for the conservative majority on the Court. The question is: will they rise to the occasion and protect our constitutional system of government?”

President Trump is engaged in an historically unprecedented effort to have the entire Executive Branch stonewall the House of Representatives to prevent it from following up on the Mueller report, and from examining the President’s finances.

Trump is trying to block the House from exercising its constitutional role of overseeing the Executive Branch by demanding that current and former Executive Branch officials and private citizens and institutions refuse to testify, refuse to provide documents and refuse to comply with House subpoenas.

Assisting him in this reckless effort is Attorney General Barr, whose Department is providing dubious legal theories to support Trump.

Barr has made very clear in his mischaracterization and misrepresentation of the Mueller report to Congress and the public that he is on Team Trump. Barr sees his role as defender and protector of the President and not as the nation’s chief law enforcement official serving the American people.

The President is likely to lose many of the cases reaching the courts that challenge his stonewalling tactics, but his game plan is to delay, delay, delay and try to use the courts to run out the clock.

Trump has already had some initial important losses in the courts, including a federal district court decision this week that rejected Trump’s effort to prevent his accounting firm from turning over financial documents to the House Oversight Committee. The decision is being appealed.

Trump’s irresponsible actions represent a direct challenge to our constitutional system of checks and balances and to the rule of law.

In the end, this is likely to end up in the Supreme Court and provide a profound challenge for the conservative majority on the Court. The question is: will they rise to the occasion and protect our constitutional system of government?

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Fred Wertheimer is the Founder and President of Democracy 21, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to strengthen our democracy and ensure the integrity and fairness of government decisions and elections. See previous Notes from Fred here.