Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/04/16/senators-to-u-s-ethics-offici.html
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Case study #4,298 in why the United States has a centuries-long tradition of Presidents divesting themselves of private business interests when they take office.
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But you see, the whole concept of “conflict of interest” was the real corruption!
No, the way it really works is: if officials have a personal stake in their official activities, they’ll do a tremendous job! And if the government has to use the president’s hotels, that’s good for the people because he’ll give Uncle Sam a terrific rate!
just shoot me now
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Jimmy Carter had to sell his peanut farm. Impeachable on emoluments from day one. Democrats have done nothing.
BTW COVID-19 election legitimacy hot rod
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Democrats DID impeach this President. This ain’t on them.
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A letter? Sweet. Thank god that got nipped in the bud. /s
Sure, but not for shitting all over the emoluments clause. He got to keep his goodies in the family, basically, and he doesn’t have to show anyone his taxes. He’s a criminal that’s been given the keys to the kingdom and he’s fucking us for all he’s worth.
The issue is all of the GOP Congress creatures that are protecting him through everything.
Our checks and balances seem to be failing at checking and balancing.
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I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that they wouldn’t have had any more success if they’d impeached him over that instead of the stuff he essentially admitted to on live television.
The Democrats are not the weak link in the accountability chain.
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I recall one or more House Dems stating in so many words that emoluments (and other infractions) would be kept in the quiver for later use; that kept things simpler for the impeachment that did occur, leaving emoluments, et al, available as ammo for any impeachment attempts further down the line for use if necessary.
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Not to mention that the Dems’ House majority only dates to November 2018. It wouldn’t have been possible to get even as far as impeachment before then, never mind a vote to convict in the Senate. Even accounting for the fact that the Trumpification of the Republican party wasn’t complete yet.
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Yeah, that’ll work. /s
I’m pretty sure the “White House Designated Agency Ethics Official” is just a trash can.
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As I remember it the rationale for the limited scope of the impeachment was to hit Trump with their strongest case (and the most likely to garner bipartisan support) so as not to muddy the waters or create the impression that they were throwing a bunch of charges at the wall to see what stuck.
I still think that strategy was reasonable even though it ultimately failed. Any Republican who wasn’t willing to remove Trump over obstruction of justice in a matter that had clear implications for our national security and sovereignty certainly wouldn’t have given a shit about the money he was making from hotels and whatnot.
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I agree. But it would have help clarify precedent. It would have shown that things like that can’t just be brushed off by a non-politician businessman elevated above his worth without some kind of blowback. Otherwise… well, here we are, aren’t we?
Up until him it was “to play the game you had to at least appear to follow the rules.”
Now, for him, it’s “play the game, fuck the rules, flip the board, and roll around on the pieces.”
And now he has set the precedent that anyone else who may follow will be able to build upon. Assuming he doesn’t turn into mini-Putin and never fucking leaves.
Mmmmmmmm… they aren’t the worst link, but they’ve proven to be pretty weak when it comes reacting to this flavor of shit that’s happening. The rules are in disarray, but the Dems are still following them. They can’t win this battle by taking the high road. They just can’t.
There should be more effort to get the rules back in place if they want to save this Democracy than we are seeing any evidence of. A strongly worded letter feels like it’s falling well short.
And how well did that work out? A quiver only matters if you’re able to shoot more than once.
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Why do you think stock options are all the rage?
The Dems can’t win this by going low either, because they simply aren’t as good at it. It’s like trying to engage Mole People in trench warfare.
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Right. The whole thing sucks and is beyond frustrating. But hey, they wrote a letter.
ETA History will at least remember that they tried. Until it’s rewritten by the winners.
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I here you. But that rationale (which I also read of) did not negate the other part of the plan to keep their other options open, as I posted. The two rationales do not oppose each other. And if Trump wins in November (fuck, me), they’ll need go back to the quiver.
If Dems manage to get a solid majority of the Senate then I’m all in favor. Not sure how another “impeachment without conviction” would change matters much though.
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Fixed that for you.
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That’s the gamble; Dems need to control Congress. They have a fair shot at that, though.
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