Scoop: Democrats to probe Trump for targeting CNN, Washington Post

[demmiblue]

Source: Axios

House Democrats plan to investigate whether President Trump abused White House power by targeting — and trying to punish with "instruments of state power" — The Washington Post and CNN, incoming House intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff said in an interview for "Axios on HBO."

Why it matters: Until now, all Trump critics could do is complain about his escalating attacks on the media. With subpoena power and public hearings, the incoming House Democratic majority can demand emails and testimony to see if Trump used “the instruments of state power to punish the press,” Schiff said.
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“It is very squarely within our responsibility to find out,” he said in the interview, which will air Sunday evening on HBO.

Schiff brought up two avenues of inquiry with a press-freedom theme, aimed at investigating possible administration actions to target two of the nation's highest profile corporations.

Read more: https://www.axios.com/democrats-adam-schiff-donald-trump-cnn-jeff-bezos-ed8c162f-5a07-4aba-9bc7-a970754958f6.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=twsocialshare&utm_campaign=organic

[Harker]

1. The end of Trumpsky's grandiose sense of impunity

is full of delight.

[UpInArms]

2. It's about time

That Lyin’ Ryan was the most worstless POS

Failure to do their job .... letting our Constitution be walked all over by the Orange Menace

Thank you, Adam Schiff!

[watoos]

3. Lyin' Ryan's piggy bank is probably full of rubles.

[elocs]

4. I would like to see Democrats keep more of their investigations closer to the vest

in order not to tip off TrumpCo. Throwing them some head fakes might be a good idea though.

[Raven123]

6. Agree

[quakerboy]

7. I mean,

Lets just investigate it all. Expose everything so we can figure out what needs bleach, what needs fire, and what somehow got overlooked by the corrupt touch

[groundloop]

10. the problem with "investigate it all" is that there's too damned much to investigate

There's simply not enough time or resources to investigate EVERYTHING Tiny has done which is either illegal, unethical, or immoral. IMO our leaders should consider all that could possibly be investigated and decide on a few key priorities which will have the largest impact, then go after those with everything we've got.

[quakerboy]

31. Oh, definitely prioritize

But always remember that they got capone on the tax evasion. Its not always the thing looks like the big deal that will be the one that has the big impact.

But my basic point was that if we appear to be coming from every direction , he/they wont know which rug is safe to try and sweep things under. Thats when more obvious mistakes will be made, and if we are looking in from all the angles, we will have eyes on, ready to catch them when they do.

And luckily, as I understand it, we will have 230 odd Democratic representatives. Id say between them they could figure out at least 60 different angles to at least nominally investigate from.

[NoMoreRepugs]

12. Talking about coming at tRumpy from a 100 directions

makes preparations to defend difficult.... I like the idea of a gargantuan SCREWDRIVER just torquing away at the Orange Menace. Dems can play the same game as Repugs did w BHO, create the perception that EVERYTHING El Douche has done and says is going to be scrutinized.

[TheBlackAdder]

15. Yep. While they may go after a smaller set of inquiries, piling these on will blow their minds.

[NoMoreRepugs]

26. Eggsactly.

[Sunlei]

19. oh they have kept quiet. a recent example is Pa. gerrymandered maps are gone.

More 'fair' maps made a difference in these midterms. And the high courts ruled new maps must stay for 2020 election. (when Republicans tried to appeal the change)

[dalton99a]

5. Kick

[moonseller66]

8. Democrats to probe Trump?

By January 99% of all emails will be dust in the proverbial wind (DC's, not Kansas) or lost electRons (like the Republicans!)
As for testimony, really? The precedent has been set going back to the Nixon/Ronnie era...I can't recall...To the best of my recollection...etc. etc. ad infinitum!

And will the Democrats actually arrest any Republican who refuses to answer a subpoena?

It's a nice thought but if anyone thought their days of Republican delays were over, there are bridges all over this country for sale.

[madville]

11. How would the Democrats "arrest" a Republican that refuses a subpoena?

We saw all this play out when Eric Holder refused a subpoena and was found in contempt of Congress. It is then up to the DOJ to prosecute or not and we saw them decline to do so with Holder just like this DOJ would decline to prosecute any of this administration.

[duforsure]

9. Its an abuse of power

When a person in this position uses his powers in any way to hurt people, or businesses with, especially his opposition, or the free press. That is illegal acts against others , defaming and making up accusations they know are false. When those in our government refuse to hold him unaccountable is also illegal, and a refusal to uphold the oath they swore to abide by. trump has done this to many, while the gop ignore actions to stop this now. This is why they will lose future elections for decades.

[CatWoman]

13. GOOD!!!!

[world wide wally]

14. Just keep piling it on until they are all buried under this pile of shit

[Sunlei]

16. CNN should use the Federal courts-sue the shit out of them-multitask them with thousands

of lawsuits

Let Republicans thousands of tax free- "political charities" WORK for 'donations' defending their 'RW society'.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

24. This article implies they are going to sue....

Sam Donaldson Is Helping To Sue Trump For Banning CNN's Jim Acosta: 'He's Not Going To Get Away With It'
Veteran journalist Sam Donaldson on Sunday slammed Donald Trump's "small base" of voters, and revealed that he's participating in a lawsuit against Trump for banning CNN's Jim Acosta from the White House.

Link: https://crooksandliars.com/2018/11/sam-donaldson-helping-sue-trump-banning

(snip)

"It's my understanding that CNN and Acosta have sued, that there will be a court hearing on Tuesday," he added later in the interview. "I've been told that because I've been asked to give an affidavit, which I've prepared to be submitted to the court."

Donaldson also lashed out at Trump for ignoring the Constitution and the American people, aside from his base of supporters.

..........

[Sunlei]

27. yes one lawsuit, but as a D Congress person said recently- Ds can multitask!

One lawsuit at a time won't cut it, Rs will drag one out for years.

Rs have allowed & encouraged 'attacks of all types' against OUR 'free press' people for decades!

[RockRaven]

17. Idiot peons in the White House ought to know they can be creating personal legal liability

for civil rights violations performed as an employee of the government if the violations are overt/egregious enough.


Here's the opening paragraph of Wikipedia's article on qualified immunity:
"Qualified immunity is a legal doctrine in United States federal law that shields government officials from being sued for discretionary actions performed within their official capacity, unless their actions violated "clearly established" federal law or constitutional rights.[1] Qualified immunity thus protects officials who "make reasonable but mistaken judgments about open legal questions,"[2] but does not protect "the plainly incompetent or those who knowingly violate the law"[3]."


"Plainly incompetent or those who knowingly violate the law..." sounds like a lot of Trump's West Wing staff.

[Sunlei]

28. Idiots at the white house shouldn't be "ordering WH interns" to grab the mic!

Interns also need to learn to say NO.

I don't know who that young lady intern was but it was pretty sad to see her glancing back & forth at Trump, looking like she was going to cry.

[Basement Beat]

18. Finally getting to see 45 on the defense constantly will be such a delight.

[LiberalLovinLug]

20. And Trump and the right wing will spin it as proof of them conspiring together

That they are on the same exact side. All out to get him.

And another tangent of that is it will cause a knee jerk reaction at CNN and the WP to 'prove' they are just as tough on Democrats as Republicans.

But I hope the 'free' press has learned its lesson about their perpetual false equivalency of the two parties behaviors. If anything good comes out it about the press, I hope it is this.

[erronis]

22. The normal response: You aren't paranoid - theyARE out to get you. And with good reason.

Dump should understand retribution. That's his MO.

[Sunlei]

29. RW always 'spin' everything. Fuck what they spin on the social media gossip rags.

Take them to the courts! Bring in the intern and ask her under oath what the 'plan was' for the CNN reporters question.

Saw one of a corporate republicans goons do about the same grab the mic- to a reporter just a few years ago when a question was asked the corp didn't 'like' .

[BigmanPigman]

21. A few weeks ago Schiff told MSNBC and CNN

that the Dems have a looooooong list of things they have been sitting on and will go after if we won. WE WON! Bring it on Schiff!

[blue-wave]

23. The way in which

Jim Acosta was/is treated answers this abuse of power question for me. We are facing the biggest threat to democracy worldwide since fascism's rise in the 1920's and 30's.

[Grasswire2]

25. Timothy Snyder, Yale holocaust historian.

If you haven't seen him on video or read his books, you will find them super enlightening.

1. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From The Twentieth Century

2. The Road To Unfreedom.

[DeminPennswoods]

30. Nixon targeted CBS, NYT and WP

Dan Rather and Daniel Schorr were particular targets at CBS. Nixon went so far as to speak directly with Wm Paley, then head of CBS, about Rather. To harass the WP, Nixon got some of his wealthy reporters to bid for the licenses of a few TV stations the WP owned at the time.