Barr Stand Off worsens tensions between Trump and Congress: NPR

The refusal of Attorney General William Barr to appear before the Judiciary Committee of the House has allowed one thing to happen, according to the representative Jaime Raskin, D-Md.

"They managed to make believe in an almost unanimous consensus in the democratic caucus that the executive was violating the Constitution and the rule of law," said Raskin, a former constitutional law professor, both a member of the judiciary and judicial review. committees.

Barr, already under the constant onslaught of Democrats in the House and Senate, refused to appear Thursday before the House Judiciary Committee, because he did not want to be questioned by his lawyers, but by his members. The Democrats refused to accommodate Barr because Raskin had declared that a more important constitutional principle was at stake. "It does not dictate to us how we organize congressional hearings," he said.

The Trump administration has made it clear that it will not play well with Democrats' demands. Sarah Sanders, White House press secretary, said that Judiciary President Jerry Nadler, who asked staff lawyers to question the Attorney General, was a "pathetic" moment for the committee. "Look, we lost confidence in Jerry Nadler a long time ago, but it is surprising to discover that he has lost confidence in himself," Sanders said.

Democrats must decide what to do now. Nadler wants to give Barr another shot. "We will make another good-faith attempt to negotiate and have access to the report we need, and if we do not get it, we will condemn the Attorney General in disregard and we will leave from there" Nadler said Thursday.

On Friday, Nadler kept his promise. He sent a letter to Barr asking for an unedited Mueller report on Monday, May 6th. If Barr does not comply with his decision, Mr. Nadler indicated that Barr would be subject to contempt proceedings "and would seek additional legal recourse".

"Finally, it must not be forgotten that by refusing to comply with congressional demands for oversight, the ministry has repeatedly stated that congressional demands are not being used for" legitimate "purposes," wrote Nadler. "This is not the judgment of the department to be made.It can not challenge the constitutional interest, oversight and interest of Congress to investigate the misconduct of the President and his associates."

Democrats say that they are considering all options. Pockets of Democrats are already calling for the dismissal of Barr, including Representative Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., Who is running for president. Others, including many candidates in the Democratic presidential election of 2020, asked him to resign.

There is talk of censorship, a type of public reprimand that has little practical effect. Legislators are also digging into the relentless powers of Congress's "inherent contempt", which have not been unleashed for nearly a century. Pushed to the extreme, these powers allow Congress to detain, order arrests and impose penalties. "We will use every means at our disposal to do our job," said Raskin.

Even President Pelosi, who has repeatedly poured cold water on the impeachment speech since the Democrats won a majority, reminded reporters Thursday that ignoring Congress had consequences for another president. . "As you probably know, in President Nixon's dismissal statutes, Article 3 stipulated that he was unaware of Congressional summonses, that he did not honor the subpoenas to to testify of the Congress, it is very, very serious, "she said.

She also attacked Barr for what she described as contradictory evidence before Congress about her communications with Mueller, about Barr's initial treatment of the original summary of the report. A letter from Mueller dated March 27, revealed this week, was called to question Barr's account. "But what is extremely serious is that the Attorney General of the United States of America has not told the truth to the US Congress. It's a crime" , she said.

A spokesman for Barr called the president's comments "reckless, irresponsible and false".

Not all the reactions were so serious. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., Brought a bucket of KFC to the empty courtroom on Thursday to showcase his theatrical perspective. "Chicken Barr should have come today and answered questions," Cohen said. Perhaps sending a message to the administration about what happens when you ignore Congress, Cohen devoured the chicken in front of the cameras.

More and more, Democrats like Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., Who sits on the Judiciary Committee, say that they are no longer interested in Barr news. "At this point, I do not think Barr says anything, so I'd rather have Mueller," she told NPR.

Nadler invited Mueller to testify on May 15th. This is not locked, but Barr has stated publicly that he had no objection to that.

Foreseeing another planned clash ahead, the Democrats also wish to hear the testimony of former White House lawyer Don McGahn, but President Trump says he will invoke the executive's privilege to block any claim . "Congress should no longer look at it – it's all – it's done," Trump told Fox News on Thursday.

Democrats say that they are just beginning.