(Rex Features via AP Images)
Listening to Democrats make their “case” for impeaching
Trump is like watching a child make excuses for why they should be able to stay
up late or not have to eat their vegetables. It’s an endless evolving list of
explanations and excuses. We’ve seen them allege a quid pro quo, bribery,
extortion… basically whatever polled well on a given week. One fairly new angle
they’ve been pushing is that the mere pushback against subpoenas is tantamount
to obstruction of justice—an impeachable offense.
Professor Jonathan Turley destroyed this argument during
his testimony this week before the House Judiciary Committee. “He’s allowed to
do that; we have three branches, not two. If you impeach a president, if you
make a high crime and misdemeanor out of going to the courts, it is an abuse of
power. It’s your abuse of power,” Turley said, referring Congress. “You are
doing precisely what you’re criticizing the president for doing.”
Turley also noted, "President Obama withheld
evidence from Congress in Fast and Furious, an investigation — or rather
moronic program — that led to the death of a federal agent. President Obama
gave a sweeping argument that he was not only not going to give evidence to
this body but that a court had absolutely no role in determining whether he could
withhold the evidence."
Fast and Furious is certainly the most well-known
example, but there are many other examples of Obama doing what Democrats now
claim to be an impeachable offense.
If Democrats like Nancy Pelosi were being
honest that this isn’t about politics but the rule of law and holding
presidents accountable and such, they should have impeached Obama… and it’s not
like they didn’t have multiple opportunities either. Here are just five
instances (of many more) where Obama obstructed justice and Democrats didn’t
care enough about abuse of power to impeach him. So really, they should stop
pretending they give a hoot about the rule of law or our democracy or the
Constitution.
5. Obstructing the NBPP voter intimidation
investigation
If not allowing administration officials to testify or
fighting subpoenas in the courts is obstruction of justice and therefore an
impeachable offense, then Barack Obama should have been impeached very early in
his presidency for just that. When the Obama Justice Department decided to
dismiss voter intimidation charges against the New Black Panther Party after
the government had effectively already won the case, it raised many questions
about the motivations behind that decision. The Obama administration vigorously fought subpoenas and instructed officials not to
testify.
Nancy Pelosi was still Speaker of the House and didn’t
accuse Obama of abuse of power for letting an allied group off the hook for
voter intimidation for racial reasons.
4. Not providing subpoenaed Solyndra
documents
When the Obama administration got into hot water over
green energy loans for companies that donated to Obama’s campaign after several
of those companies, like Solyndra, ultimately went bankrupt, House Republicans
launched an investigation and issued subpoenas. Did the Obama administration
“respect” the authority of Congress to issue subpoenas and comply
automatically? Nope.
The Obama White House would have none of it, and claimed that complying with the
subpoenas would put an "unreasonable burden on the president's ability to
meet his constitutional duties." House Republicans accused the Obama White
House of hiding information, and they responded with accusations of a partisan
investigation.
3. Not allowing Ben Rhodes to testify on the
Iran nuclear deal
Remember how treaties are supposed to be ratified by the
U.S. Senate, but the Iran nuclear deal was so bad that Obama didn’t bother
informing Congress about the details, let alone ask them to do their
constitutional duty of ratification? Well, when Congress wanted answers, the
White House refused to let the architect of the deal, Ben Rhodes, testify.
Rhodes was the failed novelist who became the architect of the Iran deal. They
cited “separation of powers” and all that. White House counsel Neil Eggleston
said at the time, “The appearance of a senior presidential adviser before
Congress threatens the independence and autonomy of the president, as well as
his ability to receive candid advice and counsel in the discharge of his
constitutional duties.”
2. The Iran ransom payments
investigation
The Obama administration was so secretive about their
corrupt dealings with Iran, that when they made a shady $400 million payment to
Iran in foreign currency under the cover of night in exchange for hostages,
they didn’t tell Congress about the money, or the hostage exchange.
After the
story broke, the Obama administration denied there was any link between the
shady money drop and the release of the hostage. However, when Congress wanted
answers, they weren’t exactly forthcoming with information. The State
Department ignored requests for documents and Attorney General
Loretta Lynch refused to answer questions from Congress.
1. Obstructing dozens of Inspectors General
investigations
If we’re going to be honest about Obama and how he
handled his administration, then it needs to be pointed out that it wasn’t just
a few select investigations that were obstructed, it was dozens.
Obstruction of
justice was in their nature because it was happening all the time, so much in
fact that halfway through his second term, 47 of the nation’s 73 inspectors
general wrote a letter to Congress accusing the Obama administration of
systemic obstruction of justice. This was unprecedented—nothing even close to
this had ever happened before in our nation’s history.
Was there a special counsel appointed to investigate?
Nope? Was Nancy Pelosi calling for impeachment? Nope. Was there any
accountability at all? Nope.
_____
Matt Margolis is the author of Trumping Obama: How President
Trump Saved Us From Barack Obama's Legacy and the bestselling
book The Worst President in History: The Legacy of Barack Obama.
You can follow Matt on Twitter @MattMargolis
