Democrats spy on republicans

LordsFire

Internet Wizard
Hopefully, this ends with Schiff behind bars.

With the Barr investigation underway, I have some hope that after 2020, Trump will have the guts to start actually pushing prosecution against all these corrupt hacks.

And once that's underway, he can start clearing out some of the corrupt Republicans as well. I've no pretensions there aren't problems there as well, they're just a lot less serious.
 

S'task

Renegade Philosopher
Administrator
Staff Member
Founder
wasn't nixion impeached for some thing similar?
Not exactly.

In Nixon's case, some lower level republican operatives staged an actual break in to the Democratic party campaign HQ in the Watergate hotel, as in actual breaking and entering with no pretext or cover. Nixon may (or may not have) known about it and/or ordered, but he CERTAINLY helped cover it up, and that's what nearly got him impeached and forced him to resign. Breaking and entering is an explicit crime, and thus, covering it up is compounding the crime.

In this case Schiff used his investigation to subpoena the phone records those involved. The companies who provided the records to him had to comply or risk being held in Contempt of Congress. They likely could have fought the demand in the courts, but their cost/benefit analysis likely came out that it would be cheaper and less risky in the long run to simply comply, as if they resisted they risked being seen as a "Trump Ally" by the Democrats and even if they WON the resulting court case, the Dems likely would take future punitive actions against them (and winning was hardly a sure thing, Congress' subpoena power is VERY broad and while Nune's records are likely outside the scope Schiff would has good case for the others as part of his investigation). Meanwhile if they comply it is unlikely the Republicans would take punitive actions against them as a lot of Republicans would just excuse them as simply following the law and would be more outraged at Schiff for making the demand than at them for complying with it.

It is still sleazy as fuck and Schiff should be ejected from Congress for his abuse of the Congressional subpoena power, but it's not really the same thing as Watergate.
 

LordsFire

Internet Wizard
Not exactly.

In Nixon's case, some lower level republican operatives staged an actual break in to the Democratic party campaign HQ in the Watergate hotel, as in actual breaking and entering with no pretext or cover. Nixon may (or may not have) known about it and/or ordered, but he CERTAINLY helped cover it up, and that's what nearly got him impeached and forced him to resign. Breaking and entering is an explicit crime, and thus, covering it up is compounding the crime.

In this case Schiff used his investigation to subpoena the phone records those involved. The companies who provided the records to him had to comply or risk being held in Contempt of Congress. They likely could have fought the demand in the courts, but their cost/benefit analysis likely came out that it would be cheaper and less risky in the long run to simply comply, as if they resisted they risked being seen as a "Trump Ally" by the Democrats and even if they WON the resulting court case, the Dems likely would take future punitive actions against them (and winning was hardly a sure thing, Congress' subpoena power is VERY broad and while Nune's records are likely outside the scope Schiff would has good case for the others as part of his investigation). Meanwhile if they comply it is unlikely the Republicans would take punitive actions against them as a lot of Republicans would just excuse them as simply following the law and would be more outraged at Schiff for making the demand than at them for complying with it.

It is still sleazy as fuck and Schiff should be ejected from Congress for his abuse of the Congressional subpoena power, but it's not really the same thing as Watergate.

That might have been able to stay under a paper-thin cover...

Publishing them though, that's very clearly crossing a line.
 

Strigan44

Well-known member
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

"Hey Jeff, you've got to help me. A group of armed men kidnapped me, and they're going to kill me!"

"Jesus Christ! Do you have any idea as to where you are?!"

"I'm being kept at the building on 605 Maddox Road."

"Where's that? The only building at that location is the federal jail."

"That's the one. The police came in and grabbed me."

"Why? Did you try to expose something bad that they did?"

"No, I murdered my wife for fucking a delivery man."

"Umm.. Uhh..."

"So, as I was saying, this yappy jogger came along and saw me hiding the body. Police arrested me, I got charged, and apparently I'm likely to get the death penalty. So, could you just swing by with that old M16 of yours and... hey, why are you hanging up? Jeff, you can't let this happen to me!"
 

Bigking321

Well-known member
It's purely double standards.

They can justify doing anything they want with even the tiniest fig leaf and 95% of the media will go to bat for them.

The Republicans can do things completely legally or the exact same things the otherside did previously when they were in positions of power and suddenly it's the greatest scandal in history and the media will go to bat for that and if the blatant hypocrisy is even brought up it's casually dismissed as "bothsides" or you being ignorant about how them doing the bad thing is totally different.

It's been this way for decades. At least since carter.

It's just gotten really really obvious now and their supporters have gotten really really good at justifying it and plugging their ears and going "lalalala I can't hear you! Trump is pure evil and everything is fine to stop the next Hitler! Lalalalala!"
 
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