Banks of the Ohio revisited
by Tom Sullivan
Politico reported last night that Republican members of Congress, meeting in secret, are building a case for discrediting the Justice Department and the FBI ahead of further revelations from Special Counsel Mueller in the Russia probe.
A group of House intelligence committee members led by Chairman Devin Nunes of California seeks to "highlight what some committee Republicans see as corruption and conspiracy in the upper ranks of federal law enforcement." Republican members believe, Politico reports, the FBI and DOJ have conspired to hurt President Trump and/or protect Hillary Clinton.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the committee's top Democrat, tells Politico he was unaware of the Republicans' secret meetings, but believes building a case against the FBI and Bob Mueller is consistent with "an effort to undermine the investigations and these institutions out of fear of what they’ll find and try to discredit them in advance."
Schiff went further last night on MSNBC's "Rachel Maddow Show," saying:
This is a real precarious moment for our democracy when you have two categories of Republican members of the Congress. One category that is basically saying and acting the part that if this investigation gets too close to threatening either the president or our majority or our chairmanships, we are prepared to burn down the house.The second category, Schiff said, is "standing mute while they do it."