Screw the "I'm not at liberty to discuss"

[drray23]

What and when the president (then president-elect) was briefed on.

I love Adam Schiff but he is playing by the rules when trump and his goons are selling our country to Russia.
Something like that is so big, it has to be divulged. He does not need to get into the details (sources and methods) but please stop beating around the Bush

[lapfog_1]

1. If he did what you suggest...

AND we somehow fail to follow up and remove Trump...

Schiff would be prosecuted and jailed for a very long prison stay.

You do not lightly violate US security laws.

[drray23]

2. Not necessarily.

He could do it on the floor of Congress and would be immune.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. Only if he does so while in the process of passing or debating legislation.

[drray23]

6. Yes its delicate. But it's so important .

Of course he would have to omit details revealing sources and methods.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. If he discloses classified information he can be prosecuted for it.

I think he's saying as much as he can legally say without going to jail.

[drray23]

4. He could do it on the floor of Congress

To get it on record. I don't believe he could be prosecuted for that.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

8. He's a smart lawyer; he knows the limits of the Speech and Debate clause

as well as the requirement that members may not disclose classified information. Just being on the floor of the House doesn't mean a member can disclose classified information, regardless.

[drray23]

9. Do you know if there has been precedents for that?

Has a member of Congress ever read a classified report on the floor ? I thought it happened before but I am not sure.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

10. Apparently not:

As far as I know, no member has ever asserted the Speech or Debate Clause, either as a defense or as a protection against inquiry, in the course of a congressional disciplinary proceeding. Nor has any scholar, court or anyone else with expertise on the Clause suggested that it could apply in a congressional proceeding. Put simply, a member who faces disciplinary action as the result of disclosing classified information can take no solace in the Speech or Debate Clause.

http://www.pointoforder.com/2013/08/09/congressional-release-of-classified-information-and-the-disciplinary-power/

[drray23]

11. How did Mike gravel avoid trouble ?

I found an article on the guy I was thinking about :

Gravel released the Pentagon papers into the Senate records.

https://theintercept.com/2014/11/10/mike-gravel-senator-put-pentagon-papers-public-record-urges-udall-torture-report/

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

12. I assume it was because the Pentagon Papers had already been obtained

by Daniel Ellsberg and parts of them had already been published by the NY Times and the Washington Post when Gravel tried to read them into the record. In Gravel v. United States the Supreme Court said he was not protected by the Speech or Debate clause. https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/408/606/

[Tatiana]

7. Schiff says as much as he can say.

It has been documented that his statements (as well as other democrats, like Senator Feinstein, Rep Quigley, Rep. Swalwell and others) are vetted multiple times to ensure no classified information is revealed. That is a crime because it jeopardizes the lives of important sources.