Our view: No, the case against Trump is far from closed
Congressional Republicans want to end investigations into the presidency of Donald Trump and the unusual circumstances surrounding his rise to power. Several have made this case, most notably Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who on Tuesday used the disclosure of parts of the Mueller report to declare “case closed.”
The tactic is not new. In 1998, supporters of President Bill Clinton, who was then under siege over his relationship with a former White House intern, created a group called MoveOn.org to urge Congress to, well, move on. The group exists to this day supporting liberal causes.
In this case, the call to move on is being made by actual members of Congress who are undermining their institution and their authority.
One day, they will regret this. They will regret it when a Democrat is next elected president and abuses his or her power. They will regret it when their grandchildren ask about their role in fostering democracy. Perhaps they will even regret it when they next look in the mirror.
McConnell’s “move along, folks, there’s nothing to see here” approach is contradicted by more than 800 former prosecutors, Republicans and Democrats, who have signed a letter saying the Mueller report provided more than enough evidence to indict Trump for obstruction of justice, were he anyone else but the president.
Similarly, by refusing to provide the House Ways and Means Committee with the tax documents it has demanded, the Trump administration is in clear violation of law. The relevant statute, passed in the wake of a previous presidential scandal, is unambiguous that these documents “shall” be provided upon the request of the chairman. In backing Trump, Republicans are essentially playing the role of accessories.
Worse, in providing cover for Trump’s refusal to provide other material, including the complete Mueller report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, the GOP is debasing the Constitution.
If it weren’t enough that most Republicans countenanced Trump as he usurped Congress’ power of the purse with his border emergency declaration earlier this year, now they are ceding Congress’ oversight role and vital function as a check on presidential power.
Previous presidents might not have always agreed with decisions of Congress or the courts, but they recognized and honored the Constitution’s precept of separation of powers. Trump, on the other hand, treats laws and critics with contempt.
There is much that the American people still need to know about Trump’s finances, particularly his relationship to Russia in the years after big losses made him radioactive to most Western banks. There is much in the Mueller report, including supporting evidence and what is behind some of the blacked-out sections, that Congress has a right to discretely examine.
Now is most assuredly not the time to arbitrarily end investigations.