House Democrats take the majority in January, and several of their newest members have already said what they plan to do with it. One promised to toss out subpoenas "like Mardi Gras beads." Rashida Tlaib told the Trump administration to "lawyer up." None of them named a crime. On Monday the White House counsel wrote to Congressman Robert Garcia, the Democrat expected to chair the House Oversight Committee, and said an investigation designed merely to abuse or instill fear may cross the line into criminality.
Jenny Beth Martin asks Paul Teller, who served in President Trump's first White House and spent years on Capitol Hill, whether that was the right message. Teller says the tell is simple: when a member announces the target before the purpose, there is no legislative purpose. Co-host Robert McNeily points to the Russia investigations as the precedent. Jenny Beth Martin adds what it is like on the receiving end: the IRS targeted Tea Party Patriots under the Obama administration.
Then the law. In 1957 Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote that there is no congressional power to expose for the sake of exposure, and in 2020 the Supreme Court said a subpoena for a president's records must serve a valid legislative purpose.
In this clip:
• Why the White House pushed back before Democrats hold the gavel
• They ran on affordability and opened with "lawyer up"
• What the Supreme Court says Congress cannot do
• Teller's test for a legitimate investigation
Take the Post-Election Supporter Survey at teapartypatriots.org. Call 202-224-3121 and tell your representative oversight is for writing laws, not for punishing people. Watch the full episode at jennybethshow.com.
00:00 — Was the White House letter the right message?
00:53 — Subpoenas before they even have a crime
01:24 — They ran on affordability
02:44 — Is the administration saying two different things?
03:58 — Jenny Beth Martin: the IRS targeted us
04:42 — 1957: no power to expose for the sake of exposure
05:26 — A legitimate investigation or a fishing expedition?
#Subpoenas #CongressionalOversight #HouseOversight #RobertGarcia #Lawfare #SupremeCourt #TrumpAdministration #PaulTeller #JennyBethShow #TeaPartyPatriotsAction