Democrats who plan to investigate executive-branch officials when they take over Congress in January are "EXTORTIONISTS" worthy of "imprisonment," President Donald Trump declared in a Truth Social post on Saturday.
asserted
Trump → plan → Saturday
Trump said he was "ordering the Department of Justice to look into this criminal act, immediately!"
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he → say → act
As is often the case when Trump demands the prosecution of his political opponents, he was hazy on what crime he had in mind.
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he → demand → mind
Although he repeatedly mentioned "extortion," that crime entails the use of threats to obtain money, property, or other things of value, so the label is clearly inapt in this context.
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label → mention → context
Attorney General Todd Blanche nevertheless seemed to reinforce Trump's threat during an interview on CNN's State of the Union yesterday, saying members of the House Oversight Committee, which will be chaired by Rep. Robert Garcia (D–Calif.) in the next congressional session, should "be very worried."
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which → seem → session
Blanche was responding to Garcia's Election Day recommendation that potential targets of congressional investigations should "LAWYER UP."
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targets → respond → investigations
Garcia, in turn, objected to Blanche's response.
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Garcia → object → response
"What Todd Blanche is doing right now is a threat," Garcia said later on the same CNN show.
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Garcia → do → show
"He is threatening our committee.
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He → threaten → committee
He's trying to stop us from doing real oversight….The Constitution
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He → try → oversight
it very clear that it's our job in the Congress to conduct oversight of the executive and the administration.
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it → conduct → executive
Blanche conceded that congressional oversight is legitimate but suggested that Garcia and other Democrats plan to exceed that role.
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Garcia → concede → role
"You have members of Congress who after Tuesday have done nothing but threaten everything that's happening in this administration," he said.
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he → have → administration
"That is not governing.
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That → govern → ?
That is not leading.
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That → lead → ?
Blanche alluded to comments that Sen. Chuck Schumer (D–N.Y.), the incoming majority leader, and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D–N.Y.), the incoming speaker of the House, made on Friday after Trump announced that Stephen Miller, the main architect of the administration's mass deportation campaign, would replace Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff.
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Miller → allude → staff
Keep in mind that the context of Blanche's remarks was the president's threat to imprison Democrats who "are going around threatening a lot of people."
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who → keep → people
Here is what Schumer said: "Donald Trump learned nothing from his historic defeat.
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learned → say → defeat
Trump couldn't have made a worse choice.
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Trump → make → choice
Our Democratic majorities will fight him every step of the way."
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majorities → fight → way
Here is what Jeffries said: "Stephen Miller is a dangerous xenophobe and reckless extremist who has American blood on his hands.
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who → say → hands
His presence in government should be eradicated like a malignant tumor.
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presence → eradicate → tumor
And here is Blanche's take on those comments: "You have Stephen Miller getting promoted to chief of staff, and within moments, within moments, the leaders of the Senate and the Congress start threatening him, OK?
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leaders → have → him
That's not governing.
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That → govern → ?
That's not leading.
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That → lead → ?
But is it, as Trump claimed, a "criminal act"?
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Trump → claim → ?
Trump "said that the Democratic lawmakers are extortionists and they should be imprisoned," CNN's Dana Bash noted.
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Bash → say → ?
Here was an opportunity for Blanche to say: "Obviously not.
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Blanche → say → ?
Political rhetoric, no matter how harsh, is constitutionally protected and cannot be grounds for criminal prosecution."
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rhetoric → protect → prosecution
Here is what he said instead: "Well, it depends on what the crime is and what they have done."
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they → say → what
That does not "necessarily" mean that "every case is going to be prosecuted," he added, without even trying to explain what the charge could possibly be.
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charge → mean → ?
You might dismiss all of this as meaningless bluster.
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You → dismiss → bluster
But the Justice Department has shown it is happy to pursue Trump's personal vendettas by bringing frivolous criminal charges against people who say things that irk him.
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that → show → him
Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District and Columbia, tried and failed to obtain an indictment of six Democratic legislators, claiming they had committed federal felonies by producing a video reminding U.S. military personnel of their duty to "refuse illegal orders."
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they → try → orders
As a federal judge noted, that video was "unquestionably protected" by the First Amendment.
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video → note → Amendment
Blanche himself has repeatedly defended an indictment charging former FBI Director James Comey with threatening to assassinate Trump by posting a photo of seashells arranged to form the numerical slogan "86 47"—a ubiquitous expression of opposition to the president that does not even come close to the Supreme Court's definition of a "true threat."
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that → defend → threat
In light of that precedent, it is not exactly reassuring when Blanche says the viability of prosecuting lawmakers for "threatening" members of the Trump administration "depends on what the crime is and what they have done."
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they → say → what
Blanche nevertheless may have a hard time finding a crime to pin on Trump's congressional critics.
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Blanche → have → critics
The "criminal act[s]" that Trump perceives include trying to impeach federal officials when "there have been no impeachable acts committed," which he describes as an "illegal process" and "extortion at the highest level," saying legislators "should be held accountable" for attempting it.
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legislators → perceive → it
But the Constitution gives Congress complete discretion in identifying "high crimes and misdemeanors," which need not include conduct that would qualify as a criminal violation.
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that → give → violation
…and 8 more, not listed.
The Aporia
