The Department of Justice is responding to House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerry Nadler opening contempt proceedings against Attorney General William Barr by inviting the chairman to a negotiation.
“We are prepared to discuss the matters raised in your letter, including your request to provide greater access to the less-redacted version of the report to additional Members of Congress and staff, as well as prioritizing review and possible disclosure of certain materials cited in the Special Counsel’s report, provided that such access and disclosure is done lawfully and in a manner that protects long-established Executive Branch confidentiality interests,” Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd wote in a letter to Nadler Monday.
“To that end, we invite members of your and the Ranking Member’s staff to the Department on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 8, 2019 to negotiate an accommodation that meets the legitimate interests of our coequal branches of government,” he added.
Nadler began the process of charging Barr Monday morning when the attorney general missed a deadline to turn over an unredacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report.
Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), the ranking member on the Judiciary Committee, confirmed that he would be in attendance.
“The attorney general continues to offer accommodations to Chairman Nadler. After far exceeding what the regulations require and offering to field questions from Congress, the attorney general faces demands from Democrat leadership who refuse to read the information he’s offered,” Collins said in a statement. “I appreciate the respect Attorney General Barr is showing our committee by responding to a deluge of perverse demands. So far, he has honored Congress by being faithful to the laws we have enacted, and I look forward to a productive, bipartisan meeting this Wednesday.”
Read the response from the Department of Justice here:
Says Chairman Nadler:
It should not be subject to negotiation. Comply or start seeing people jailed and/or fined.
Oh gosh, I sure hope someone here can explain to little ole me why this is all a disaster, horrible strategy, a huge corporatism-driven mistake and proof of failure that requires us to vote for some far left neophyte candidate in 2020, especially since Nadler hasn’t answered yet.
Barr just blinked and Nadler is winning the game of chicken. He can meet with them and still issue the subpoena and/or contempt. The two are not mutually exclusive. Moreover, doing so provides him the leverage to negotiate. If they waste his fucking time at the negotiation, then it just adds to the evidence that enforcement of the subpoena is necessary.
Sure it should. These things always are. If the branches are co-equal then it behooves them to accommodate each other with respect to legitimate legal and constitutional concerns that fall under their respective purviews. If this is just an attempt at bullshit, then so be it. It only adds to the evidence of bad faith and supports that a subpoena should be enforced.
Negotiate about what? If it’s anything other than whether dis-Barr will voluntarily turn himself in or be arrested when the subpoena is enforced, Nadler should tell them to FO&D. There is nothing to negotiate.