TWGB: It's Getting Real, Now

A top House Democrat issues subpoenas for six years of President Trump's tax returns, giving Treasury secretary, IRS commissioner a May 17 deadline to deliver them. https://t.co/3yPYyBqlw9

— The Associated Press (@AP) May 10, 2019

So, adding to the subpoena issued to Don Jr. (which he could very well try to bail on, thanks to the weird blow-off advice of Uncle Lindsey and his own really dumb failure to still know what trouble looks like), we've now got subpoenas for Trump, Sr.'s tax returns.

And maybe these subpoenas will go nowhere at first--after all, former White House Counsel Don McGahn was subpoenaed to provide documents and testimony, and seems to be hanging in with White House instruction to just say "No" to that (even though, as a former White House employee and a grown man, he doesn't have to let them tell him to do anything.) Maybe that will change though, as it comes out that just after the Mueller report dropped, the White House tried to induce McGahn to go on record saying he effectively wasn't told to obstruct justice, in a way that looks sort of further obstruction of justice-y. And while McGahn isn't going to say it totally did happen out loud where the people can hear, he also doesn't want to say it didn't.

I feel like there are good reasons for that. But the truth might actually be more compelling in the long run because it looks like McGahn actually was told by Trump to do a crime, and didn't, which I guess really counts for something? (This nudge to say Trump is cleared on at least one count of obstruction reminds me ever so much of his pressure on Comey to say that he wasn't under investigation--it is hard to separate whether he has consciousness of guilt or just consciousness of looking bad. Heh--narcissism!)

But maybe there's reason to think the IRS/Treasury tax requests are going to also resolve themselves sooner than later--and one thing to note from my happy little New York appreciation post--once the information from the NY returns are out and about, the justification for holding back the federal returns weakens. The toothpaste doesn't get back in the tube.

Also. House Democrats are exploring a legal basis to add juice to their subpoena power by investigating the seldom utilized power of inherent contempt to make their legal requests more compelling. (And honestly, Jr. should just honor the Senate subpoena after contacting a good lawyer or so because eventually....I think he's just going to have to say something, and doing it as CYA as possible is his best bet.)

In my last post, I noted that public opinion is a factor in impeachment, and one of the things I think should be considered is that so many former US prosecutors have found themselves willing to sign their name to support the evidence for obstruction of justice in Trump's case. These are professionals who are legitimately saying they think, knowing what they know that they could try that one. That is really saying a lot.

Now, the White House and Barr's DOJ are still stalling on releasing the full Mueller report, and we hear that Mueller won't be reporting in person on May 15 after all. This seems to have something to do with the White House preferring he doesn't , which is really amazing for folks who want to pretend the Mueller report exonerated Trump when, oh, for goodness sakes, no. Also, Mueller too, is a grown person whose investigation was ended and doesn't need to keep hanging around DOJ, and if he wasn't at Trump's or Barr's say so, would be able to agree on his own volition without strings I am pretty sure?

I don't know. I'm not at that level. But from where I'm looking, Senator McConnell's claim that what we know of the Mueller report thus far means "Case closed" is like pretending the Super Bowl is over at the half based on who's up in the scoring.

That isn't how this works, at all. That isn't going to be how this works, regardless of what he wants to say.