While it may sound like some kind ridiculous April Fool’s joke, the deranged House Democrats have announced plans to attempt to impeach President Donald Trump…again.
Because the first attempt did not go quite badly enough for them, House Democrats requested secret grand jury material from the Mueller investigation from the Supreme Court that they insist they need to determine whether to impeach President Trump again.
The House Judiciary Committee has been trying to get the witness materials for months, but the DOJ refused. The case is now in the hands of the Supreme Court, where the DOJ has asked them to block the release of the materials, since “their secrecy will irrevocably be lost.”
The Democrats told the court Monday they were involved in an “ongoing presidential impeachment investigation” and argued that Mueller’s now-completed Russia probe should be turned over to them as a result.
The committee’s general counsel, Douglas Letter, wrote in a court filing that “the Committee’s impeachment investigation related to obstruction of justice pertaining to the Russia investigation is ongoing.”
“The [House Judiciary] Committee’s investigation did not cease with the conclusion of the impeachment trial,” the Democrats told the nine justices. “If this material reveals new evidence supporting the conclusion that President Trump committed impeachable offenses that are not covered by the articles adopted by the House, the committee will proceed accordingly — including, if necessary, by considering whether to recommend new articles of impeachment.”
Last week, the Supreme Court temporarily denied a motion from House Democrats to obtain grand-jury testimony as well as other requested documents from former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.
The Trump administration has been hesitant to reveal further documents related to Mueller’s probe to House Democrats. DOJ officials have indicated that they turned over all relevant information and have cited grand-jury rules for not providing any of the unredacted material.
Federal guidelines protect the secrecy of grand-jury materials and the exception allowing the disclosure “preliminarily to or in connection with a judicial proceeding” does not apply, especially given Trump’s acquittal by the Senate in an impeachment trial earlier this year.
The DOJ has been conducting a separate internal review of the Russia investigation origins, which is expected to be completed sometime during the summer.
The investigation has since been expanded to include a post-election timeline that begins in the spring of 2017 when Mueller was appointed as special counsel. Barr said he did not expect the investigation to lead to any criminal charges against either former President Barack Obama or former Vice President Joe Biden, though.
“As for President Obama and Vice President Biden, whatever their level of involvement based on what I know, I don’t expect Durham’s work will lead to a criminal investigation of either man,” Barr said. “Our concern of potential criminality is focused on others.”
