We noted yesterday that several House committees are balking at providing documents to Justice investigators. Roll Call reported sources whining that the requests were so broad and onerous, in order to comply Congress would have to “shut down.”
That’s a joke, of course. The current Congress spends more time “shut down” than any other in the past 60 years, having been in session only 97 days total. This year, the average working American will show up for work about 150 days more than his or her congressperson. You and I will work through the end of December; our House members’ last day of work this year is slated to be Oct. 6. (Of course, professional staff have to stick around even when Congress isn’t in session. But you can be sure that life for them takes on a much more relaxed pace during recess.)
The irony is that one of the unspoken reasons Congress spends so many days out of session is that the members need time to raise campaign money — meet with donors, attend receptions, glad-hand and dial for dollars. And that’s the key part of the process that tends to land them in hot water.
So when anonymous Congressional sources complain to the New York Times, as they did yesterday for the paper’s follow-on to Roll Call, that fulfilling the prosecutors’ request “would take more than 100 hours,” don’t cry too hard for them. It will help keep them out of trouble.
