According to Axios, Republicans have been busy generating a list of possible areas of inquiry that Democrats may pursue if they take over the House of Representatives in the 2018 election. They have been circulating that list among themselves. The expressed purpose appears to be to create enthusiasm among their base to go out and vote in the midterms to protect the president.
The first thought that comes to mind is that Republicans in Congress are aware that this president needs protection. In fact, they have listed over 100 areas that Democrats may see as warranting investigation. According to Axios, the spreadsheet "catalogs more than 100 formal requests from House Democrats this Congress." They used Democratic requests for investigations to help prepare their list.
It seems the Republicans are doing the Democrats' work for them. They seem so conscious of where they have failed in holding this administration accountable that they are essentially providing a list to Democrats of hearings they may want to hold if they win control of the House of Representatives. In short, they are letting the Democrats know what they have failed to do to hold this president accountable.
Let’s mention just a few of these potential inquiries: President Trump’s taxes, the firing of James Comey, the travel ban, corrupt activities among Cabinet members and White House staff, the separation of parents from their children, Trump’s dealings with Russia, and the response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.
I feel like Republicans are saying these are things we should have investigated but chose not to because we preferred to protect the president. Now they want their base to get out and vote in November, so they can continue to insure this president will not be held accountable.
I am troubled by the behavior of these Republicans as a group. They have all been elected as public servants to defend our country, not a specific person. They are aware that at a minimum some of these issues merit a serious investigation.
Instead, a number of them are intent on obfuscating such important issues by investigating the investigators. Some are even going so far as to seek impeachment of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein for overseeing the Russian investigation.
If Republicans were to hold on to the House in November, there can be little doubt that business as usual would prevail. This president would be emboldened to operate with no checks on his behavior. Not only our democracy but our national security could be in danger.
I believe that even those who support some of Donald Trump’s policies and might even consider voting for him again in 2020 cannot be happy with a president accountable to no one. I’m confident that all Americans believe that no one is above the law, even the president. Since the Congress as it is currently constituted has shown no inclination to hold this president accountable in any way, it is incumbent on Americans to vote in a Congress that will cast a critical eye on the activities of this administration.
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It is hard to argue that this president and this administration do not need to have a meaningful check on their activities. A Democratic House of Representatives could provide that check.
Fortunately, Republicans have at least provided a useful list as to where to begin.
