Jennifer Rubin: Contempt of Congress

http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2017/06/08/Jennifer-Rubin-Contempt-of-Congress/stories/201706080031

Jennifer Rubin: Contempt of Congress
Intelligence officials shouldn’t be allowed to stonewall at a congressional oversight hearing
Jennifer Rubin
12:00 AM
Jun 8, 2017


Again and again Wednesday at the hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats and National Security Agency Director Adm. Michael Rogers refused to answer direct questions as to whether they had been asked by President Donald Trump to interfere with the FBI investigation into the Trump campaign’s connections with Russia.

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This is outrageous. Congress has an independent obligation to conduct oversight. Witnesses cannot simply decide they don’t want to share. If they could, there would be no oversight.

While they were not under subpoena, the behavior of those testifying yesterday was contemptuous and unprecedented. The committee has the option to subpoena witnesses, demand answers and then hold them in contempt if they decline to answer. (Is that what the witnesses are hoping for, so they will be seen as having no choice?) It is hard to see any reason why Congress should not do so.

A source familiar with his thinking told me, “Sen. Heinrich will seek to get answers one way or another.”

Should Republicans not take these steps, the conclusion should be obvious: They are acting to protect the president from public embarrassment. In doing so, they are demonstrating a lack of respect both for the public and Congress, a branch of government co-equal to the executive.

All of these witnesses and other White House officials act as if they work for the president, not the American people. This is unacceptable in a functional democracy and would, if perpetuated, do serious damage to our democratic system.

They need to tell the truth, the whole truth. Transparency and honesty cannot be optional for members of the executive branch.


Jennifer Rubin writes the Right Turn blog for The Washington Post.