Democrats in January are poised to take charge of the House of Representatives from hapless Republican incumbents and work their will on President Trump.
There’s no other way to say it. The Democrats have Trump on the brain. After listening to the agenda breathlessly set forth by the incoming chairmen of key House of Representatives committees, the phrase “Trump Derangement Syndrome” – coined to mock the mindless anti-Trump “resistance” – seems less and less hyperbolic.
The Democrats seem determined to intensify their efforts to immobilize the Trump presidency by mounting sustained investigations into President Trump’s personal finances, family, and campaign and administration based on – not hard evidence of wrongdoing – but conjecture. Thus, in anticipation of their takeover in January, Democrats have already prepared more than 80 subpoenas covering a good portion of the Trump policy agenda and such important matters like his tax returns.
Rep. Elijah Cummings, who will head the powerful House Oversight Committee, said this on Meet The Press the other day on prioritizing the Trump inquiries: “We’ve got to get it done. We don’t have to hit the ground as Democrats running, we have to hit the ground flying…. Let’s be abundantly clear. The American people said to us through this election, ‘We want accountability. We want a check on this president of the United States.’”
Meanwhile, Rep. Adam Schiff, incoming chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said he will quickly focus on Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker – who has yet to take any official action – and whether he was chosen as part of an effort to undermine the Mueller investigation. “We are going to bring Whitaker before the Congress, assuming he’s still in his position at the time when Democrats take over.”
Schiff also said President Trump’s business engagements must be investigated to ensure “we have a foreign policy driven by American interests, not by some interest of the president.” A host of other incoming committee chairmen have also indicated that they will investigate the president’s finances to determine whether his policy positions are motivated by his financial ties.
Obviously, all this is very distressing as it asserts the legitimacy of launching a congressional investigation anytime there is a disagreement over presidential policy – for that is clearly what’s going on here. The Democratic agenda is truly unprecedented. What we are seeing is not a traditional loyal opposition at work but rather a willful attempt to overturn the results of the 2016 presidential elections.