White House asserts executive privilege over Mueller report in latest confrontation with Congress

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Washington Post

The White House formally asserted executive privilege over special counsel Robert S Mueller III’s report Wednesday, President Trump’s first use of the executive authority in the latest confrontation with Congress.

Assistant Attorney General Stephen E. Boyd wrote in a letter to Congress that Trump had “asserted executive privilege over the entirety of the subpoenaed materials.” Boyd wrote that Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler’s push to hold Barr in contempt had “terminated” their negotiations over what materials lawmakers would be allowed to view from Mueller’s investigation.

“As we have repeatedly explained, the Attorney General could not comply with your subpoena in its current form without violating the law, court rules, and court orders, and without threatening the independence of the Department of Justice’s prosecutorial functions,” Boyd wrote.

The White House assertion of privilege represents the latest collision between Trump and House Democrats, who have seen their investigations of the president blocked at every turn. The White House move came shortly before the House Judiciary Committee planned to vote to hold Attorney General William P. Barr in contempt for failing to provide the full Mueller report.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/barr-to-trump-invoke-executive-privileged-over-redacted-mueller-materials/2019/05/07/51c52600-713e-11e9-b5ca-3d72a9fa8ff1_story.html

---

Am watching Nadler's hearing right now.

Original article -

BREAKING NEWS: The White House has asserted executive privilege over the Mueller report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, in its latest confrontation with Congress. The move came shortly before the House Judiciary Committee planned to begin contempt proceedings against Attorney General William P. Barr for failing to provide the full, unredacted report to Congress. This is a developing story and will be updated.

The Justice Department informed the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday night that it would ask President Trump to assert executive privilege over underlying evidence in special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's report, a move all but assuring that Attorney General William P. Barr will be held in contempt of Congress.

In a late-night letter to Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), assistant attorney general Stephen E. Boyd argued that the Justice Department had tried to accommodate Democrats' demands for the release of the full Mueller report, which the Judiciary panel subpoenaed for its investigation into the president.

But Boyd said that Democrats -- who made a counteroffer to the Justice Department in a last-ditch negotiation session to stave off a scheduled contempt vote for Barr Wednesday morning - "has responded to our accommodation efforts by escalating its unreasonable demands."

[mahatmakanejeeves]

1. You beat me to it. Good morning. NT

The authors:

Rachael Bade is a Congress reporter for The Washington Post, primarily focusing on the House. Her coverage areas include House Democrats’ oversight of the Trump administration as well as policy clashes with the White House, the dynamics animating the historic freshman class and the inner workings of the Democratic leadership team. Follow https://twitter.com/RachaelMBade

Matt Zapotosky covers the Justice Department for The Washington Post's national security team. He has previously worked covering the federal courthouse in Alexandria and local law enforcement in Prince George's County and Southern Maryland. Follow https://twitter.com/mattzap

[BumRushDaShow]

4. Took me a bit to get to it

since I have Nadler's committee hearing streaming in a browser window (I think the vote was 22 - 12 to move forward) and I have dozens of other tabs open that I had to scroll through to get the WaPo article's tab close to my LBN post screen for copying/pasting!

Good morning and happy Hump Day!

[ArizonaLib]

15. They are protesting Democrats not congress

I hope Nadler beats the white house team/AG on their bid that the fight is partisan on the part of congress. They need to take the offensive that the white house team/AG are themselves making it partisan, that the partisan aspect is weak. They need to be forced to bow to congress, not resist Democrats. What is wrong with Republicans that they only recognize democracy when it benefits them? Also, where are the screams from Democrats that elections have consequences, respect for rule of law and the constitution, and that character matters? I remember those mantras by Republicans in the 90's.

[BumRushDaShow]

18. This is Nixon and Watergate all over again

Nixon proclaimed idiotic broad "Executive Privilege" to justify not releasing the "tapes" and the SCOTUS ruled unanimously that his doing so was basically bullshit.

So here we are 45 years later.

[HopeAgain]

2. Executive Prvilege?

That doesn't make any sense whatsoever. The Mueller report was not presidential deliberations. Yet they know that every straw they grasp can drag this out a little further.

[C_U_L8R]

3. There is no "privilege" to commit and coverup crimes

[DeminPennswoods]

5. Don't forget Judge Walton

There is an ongoing case from a freedom of the press journalist group to get a full copy of the report. IIRC, Judge Walton decided he would get a copy of the full unredacted report and then decide whether or not journalists should get it.

[mtngirl47]

6. Impeachment hearings are the only way forward n/t

[in2herbs]

17. I've often wondered if Pelosi's reason for openly not pursuing impeachment is because

she knows that if Trump goes down so will Pence and that puts her in the Presidency and she doesn't like the optics. (Of course there's a lot that has to happen for this to happen, but in today's world we best leave nothing to chance.

[underpants]

7. Again- if this report COMPLETELY EXONERATES him, why hide it?

Asking for someone who loves their country and Democracy

[BumRushDaShow]

9. Exactly!

Sheila Jackson-Lee is giving her statement in the Committee right now.

Live streaming here -

[Backseat Driver]

8. Let's not forget that Barr lied to Congress

at the outset during the nomination process for the purpose of this later obstruction in favor of misguided opinion that sitting presidents cannot be indicted. This contempt of our system of checks and balances for the purposes of oversight must not go unchallenged and, therefore, include impeachment proceedings.

[benld74]

10. Executive Privilege on documents having NOTHING to do with his time in the WH?

NOT GONNA HAPPEN

[LibFarmer]

11. How can that be executive privilege?

It is a report on the malfeasance of the executive.

We need to make a noise about "if Trump claims it exonerated him, why is he hiding his exoneration?"

[BumRushDaShow]

12. That's what the Judiciary committee members have been saying

during their statements -

[LibFarmer]

14. Good

Thanks for the link .... I usually watch C-Span reruns but the link is handy!

[Ponietz]

13. 'National emergency' to silence Congress is not far on the horizon

[SeattleVet]

16. Yah, that'll work...

Nixon tried that already with his tapes, and we all know how well *that* worked out for him!

[DENVERPOPS]

19. Seattle Vet

You are being nostalgic for the days when there were actually Statesmen in both Parties that would have stomped this shit into the ground in the first week of Trump's and Their Parties attempts at a tyranny. I had Republican friends who respected my democrat thinking and I respected them, esp for both of us thinking of the good of the USA. THAT Republican party and members slowly went out the window starting with the hostage thing with Iran to wipe out Jimmy Carter, the IRAN-CONTRA THING, the trickle down economics, and on and on. Nearly forty years later, the old Republican and their beliefs are rolling over in their graves at what their party has become. My guess is that we all have no idea yet how bad this Neo-Republican/Corporate/One Percent Fascist party is going to get in the very very near future.........

[B Stieg]

20. For an innocent man, tRump sure is acting rather strangely.

[beachbum bob]

21. We all knew trump would do everything to keep it from going public, so lets make this the

daily news story from now on, the trump coverup

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

22. The report exonorates me

But you can't see the whole thing - Donny Dotard.

How stupid of an argument can one make?

[BumRushDaShow]

23. And then what's worse

is that the GOP dumbasses in the Judiciary Committee are still insisting that Democrats are having the contempt hearing because they are "afraid" of what is in the report.