THE FOUNDING FATHERS of the United States of America truly had foresight when they structured the democratic government of the United States and wrote the U.S. Constitution in 1787 to protect the country’s people and the forming of a “more perfect union” against entities from within and without who may try to undermine the nation’s democracy.
The news of this week highlighted just that, with people who should have known better by virtue of them being elected and appointed public officials accorded with public trust because of the office that they hold.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, a Republican congressman from California, heads one of the most powerful committees in Congress. His job is oversight of the most important information gathered by their committee along with those gathered by other Intelligence agencies, in order to protect the nation and the American people.
However, recently, MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show obtained exclusive, secret audio Nunes speaking candidly to donors at a private fundraiser for Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers.
The recording reveals how conflicted Nunes seem to be in how to do his job, and to whom he should pledge his allegiance to, by stating how Republicans should protect President Trump from the special counsel investigation into Russian election interference.
Here are some excerpts:
Nunes: “ If Sessions won’t un-recuse and Mueller won’t clear the president, we’re the only ones, which is really the danger. That’s why I keep — and thank you for saying it, by the way — I mean, we have to keep all these seats….We have to keep the majority. If we do not keep the majority, all of this goes away.”
Nunes also talked about the need to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Special Counsel Robert Mueller to investigate the Russia probe when Attorney General Jeff Sessions had to recuse himself from the investigation because of conflict of interest.
Nunes: “I’ve said publicly Rosenstein deserves to be impeached. I mean, so, I don’t think you’re gonna get any argument from most of our colleagues. The question is the timing of it right before the election…The Senate would have to start, the Senate would have to drop everything they’re doing and start to, and start with impeachment on Rosenstein. And then take the risk of not getting [Brett] Kavanaugh confirmed. So it’s not a matter that any of us like Rosenstein. It’s a matter of, it’s a matter of timing.”
The importance of having Kavanaugh confirmed first has been critical in “protecting President Trump” because should Mueller subpoena Trump to testify before the grand jury, then this legal battle may be elevated to the Supreme Court.
With Trump-appointed Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, along with other justices appointed by Republican presidents like John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, the balance of power may tilt in favor of the Republicans. How would this potentially affect the independent probe of Special Counsel Mueller on the alleged collusion between the Trump Campaign and Russia?
This recording just confirms what most Americans already knew: Nunes’ actions and decisions in his conduct of the House Intelligence Committee on the Russia probe was rigged to protect Donald Trump.
NO, MR. NUNES. Your job as a congressman is NOT to protect President Donald Trump. Your job is to represent, protect and defend your constituents and the Constitution that mandates Congress and the Executive and the Judiciary are three co-equal branches of government and are obligated to provide checks and balance to deter abuse of power.
Rudy Guiliani — former New York City mayor during 9/11, and now President Donald Trump’s lawyer in dealing with Special Counsel Robert Mueller in the Russia Probe — has just responded to the invitation of Mueller to interview the president with questions pertaining to “obstruction of justice”.
As CNN reported, Giuliani said Wednesday that he wants negotiations over a presidential interview with special counsel Robert Mueller to be completed by Sept. 1.
After echoing Trump that the Russia probe is a “hoax” and a “witch hunt,” Guiliani now espouses that there is no such crime as “collusion,” but again echoes the president in saying he did not do anything wrong, and that the DOJ should be investigating on Clinton for colluding with Russia—something they argued isn’t a crime.
Guiliani and his team have also been arguing that Trump should not sit down with Mueller because that would be a “perjury trap” for the president.
But CNN reported further that Guiliani went on to contend that should the probe not wrap up in September, the Republicans could benefit from dragging the process into the November midterm elections.
“When I first got involved, I would have told you not testifying would be the right legal strategy but then hurt politically,” Giuliani told CNN in a phone interview Wednesday. “Now I’m thinking the continuance of the investigation would actually help because people are getting tired of it, and (the President) needs something to energize his voters because the Democrats look like they’re energized. Nothing would energize (Republicans) more than, ‘Let’s save the President.’”
MR. GUILIANI, have you forgotten so many things about the law as stipulated in the Constitution?
Has Guiliani forgotten that this probe is NOT under Trump’s jurisdiction? This is an independent investigation intended to protect the democracy of the United States of America. The Trump campaign is being investigated on its alleged conspiracy with a foreign adversary — Russia— which assaulted our democratic institutions and processes via cyber warfare to help Trump win.
Does the accused have the right and the power to demand conditions as to the timing, scope, and end time of the probe?
Has Guiliani forgotten that Trump is duty-bound to cooperate with the Special Counsel and that he must be the first person to be pushing the hardest to get to the bottom of this. In doing so he must be willing to testify under oath. Trump may be president but he is NOT above the law.
And what are they saying about “perjury trap”? Trump should not worry about it if he tells the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. What is he afraid of? What is President Donald J. Trump hiding from the American people? ?
* * *
Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
