HOUSE DEMOCRATS THREATEN WITHHOLDING SALARIES OF TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS WHO BLOCK INVESTIGAT

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Newsweek

BY CHRISTINA ZHAO ON 5/7/19 AT 8:50 PM EDT

House Democrats on Tuesday threatened to withhold the salaries of Trump administration officials who continue to block investigation interviews.

Following complaints by Democrats that Interior Department officials were withholding documents and disregarding requests to send staffers to testify before Congress, the House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) on Tuesday sent letters to multiple federal officials warning them that those who “prohibits or prevents” interviews could risk having their salaries withheld “pursuant to a provision in federal appropriations law.” Cummings also asked eight current and former Trump administration officials for information as part of two ongoing investigations conducted by the panel.

“Please be advised that any official at the Department who ‘prohibits or prevents’ or ‘attempts or threatens to prohibit or prevent’ any officer or employee of the Federal Government from speaking with the Committee could have his or her salary withheld pursuant to section 713 of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act,” he wrote in the letters.

“The Government Accountability Office has reported to the Committee in the past when an agency official has violated this provision by preventing agency staff from being interviewed by Congress, and a portion of that official’s salary was ordered to be returned to the federal government,” Cummings added.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/house-democrats-threaten-withholding-salaries-trump-administration-officials-1418741?piano_t=1

[dflprincess]

1. Stop threatening and just do it. nt

[certainot]

2. no, we let limbaugh spin it all to 50 mil a week so dems can't do anything 'radical'

all by the book, especially with a black democrat

and then limbaugh will put the call out for those salaries to be replaced 10x

[bigworld]

3. Millionaires like Mnunchin aren't doing it for the salary

It won't hurt him one bit.

[PSPS]

4. These guys aren't in this for their salaries. They'd work for free.

The Kochs and the industries they're protecting would gladly pay them. It would be a lot cheaper than having to buy all those KGOP politicians.

[mopinko]

5. i've been saying- they are selling these appointments.

how else do you manage to assemble such a menagerie of crooks and liars?
dog knows they arent going out and recruiting them. they are too stupid and lazy.

[Bayard]

6. Is Barr wealthy?

I like it regardless. It is positive and hard line action.

[Progressive Jones]

7. He's a lawyer, isn't he?

[PunkinPi]

20. He is, he took a pay cut from his law firm to be AG again...

Barr’s personal net worth is estimated to be more than $20 million. But it’s important to note that’s a conservative estimate. It’s possible the value of Barr’s total wealth could be more than twice that.

William Barr’s salary at Kirkland & Ellis in Washington, D.C. was $1.2 million per year, according to Barron’s, a newspaper published by Dow Jones & Company.

More here --> https://heavy.com/news/2019/01/william-barr-net-worth/

[onenote]

26. Unlikely that this would apply to anything Barr has done.

[cstanleytech]

8. They need to go after Trumps Secret Service as well as Air Force One funding and

prohibit any federal funds being spent for travel or spending at any of his golf courses and or properties.
In other words ground him to the White House.

[onenote]

25. There is no law that would allow that.

[cstanleytech]

30. They write the budget though don't they? Then in the next one can't they provide

such a stipulation in it?

[onenote]

31. It would never get through the Senate

And shutting down the government next fall over it would be a huge error.

[cstanleytech]

33. Well they have to take a stand or the Repugnants will keep thinking that they are above the law.

[AlexSFCA]

9. is this all we got??

embarassing

[bluevoter4life]

10. I'll be "that guy"

Is this move even legal? This would out the Democrats in a bad position for future government shutdowns. Not a smart move in my opinion.

[onenote]

32. Yes its legal. It also takes a very long time.

See https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142313351#post22

[tclambert]

11. It's OK. Trump's a multi-billionaire and can pay them out of his own pocket if he wants to.

Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. Sometimes I really crack myself up.

[blue-wave]

12. Don't just threaten!!!!!!

DO IT AND DO IT NOW!!! The republicons play hard ball. Throw it back harder. It’s the only thing they understand.

A few days ago, Speaker Pelosi gave a presser. She looked tired and very concerned to me. She said she had very little sleep that night. I believe that is because she finally realized that this mess of a shit show is about to get ugly and is a battle for the future of our country. God help us all.

[larwdem]

17. agree

we need to fight

[SunSeeker]

13. DO IT!!

[turbinetree]

14. Time to get the subcommittee on subpoenas up and running.............................

starting yesterday......................don't blink, they want us to blink..............................not happening.............

[Duppers]

15. K & R

[C Moon]

16. This election is already making me nauseous. Those frigging traitors have so much money.

I can see day in and day out, as their schemes unfold to make the economy look good for Trump.
I'm sure there's crap going on behind the scenes that includes Russia and other evil countries working on Trump's reelection behalf.
God damn it.
I hate the Republican party—a wad of evil, selfish, traitors.
Go to hell and burn, ALL of you who are reading this if you voted for Trump or GOP in the last election.
Because they don't care about you, and you just put the rest of us on dictatorship's door step.

[CrispyQ]

27. It's impacted my relationships with people I know who identify as republican.

I avoid them.

They are okay with fascism as long as their guy is in charge. WTF? Really? They refuse to acknowledge the double standard of IOKIYAR.

[dalton99a]

18. Just Do It.

[beachbum bob]

19. they should cut all funds to the whitehouse, period

make trump pay out of pocket to keep lights on and food in the kitchen

[lagomorph777]

24. Cut off the KFC and the water. He'll crawl out of there like a hungry cockroach.

[LibFarmer]

21. Now we see some muscle

I hope it is used forcefully and decisively instead of vacillating.

[onenote]

22. Be aware that invoking Section 713 is a very slow process.

And its implementation rests largely in the hands of Trump appointees.

The process is that the House writes to GAO and asks them to decide whether Section 713 has been violated. If GAO decides a violations occurred, GAO writes to the agency involved and directs them to seek repayment of the salary paid to the employee that violated Section 713. The agency then has to notify the employee and the employee has certain rights to challenge the decision.

The examples cited by Cummings in his letter reveal how slow and uncertain this process can be. In one example, a House committee wrote to GAO in October 2012 requesting a decision regarding an potential violation of Section 713 occurring that same month. GAO did not release its decision until June 2014. The decision concluded Section 713 had not been violated. In April 2015, the Committee asked GAO to reconsider, and in April 2016 GAO issued a decision reversing its earlier determination and found a violation had occurred. It is not clear when (or if) GAO transmitted a demand for reimbursement to the agency, when the agency demanded reimbursement from the employee(s) in question and when (if ever) such repayment occurred. But it is safe to say that the process, even if it resulted in a reimbursement, took at least four years and probably longer.

[lagomorph777]

23. PERFECT! That is exactly what we should do!

Complying with the law ( "taking care that the laws are faithfully executed" ) IS THE JOB if you are in the executive branch. If you won't do your job, you shouldn't be paid.

[gopiscrap]

28. DO IT!!!!!

[Chin music]

29. Stop talking. DO IT.

Who cares about them, WE voted for you.

[MadDAsHell]

34. I don't like the precedent of withholding federal workers' pay, regardless of the reason.

And no one who is pro-labor should like it either.

[onenote]

35. The law is aimed at management, not frontline or mid level employees.

The employee who doesn't communicate with Congress isn't the target -- it's their supervisor that orders them not to do so.