May 08, 2019 09:08 AM UTC

This is Not What Totally Innocent People Do

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• by: Colorado Pols

As the Washington Post reports:

The White House formally asserted executive privilege over special counsel Robert S Mueller III’s report Wednesday, President Trump’s first use of the executive authority in the latest confrontation with Congress…

…The White House assertion of privilege represents the latest collision between Trump and House Democrats, who have seen their investigations of the president blocked at every turn.

“This decision represents a clear escalation in the Trump administration’s blanket defiance of Congress’s constitutionally mandated duties,” Nadler said, later adding: “As a co-equal branch of government, we must have access to the materials that we need to fulfill our constitutional responsibilities in a manner consistent with past precedent.”

The White House move came shortly before the House Judiciary Committee planned to vote to hold Attorney General William P. Barr in contempt for failing to provide the full Mueller report.

Today’s move comes one day after the White House asserted “executive privilege” to block a subpoena for written records from former White House counsel Don McGahn. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin also recently refused to accede to Congressional demands to turn over President Trump’s tax returns, setting up a likely legal battle over the matter.

But, you know, “case closed” and all that.