If House Republicans offered the Department of Justice a trade-off like this, it would not serve them well.
House Republicans have taken the country hostage in a very real sense, stalling important work while they hold endless hearings attacking the president, the FBI, and the Department of Justice.
Dick Morris wants them to do so much more openly, directly, and explicitly.
Morris is a host and commentator at one of the right-wing outlets that have seen a rise in the Trump era.
He amplified the suggestion — so popular among Trump’s defenders — that Congressional MAGAs should use the power of the purse to put an end to the investigation — but he took it much further.
According to Morris, Trump’s allies in Congress should not only pull funding from the DOJ but refuse to fund any aspect of government until they get their way.
He even hinted that other indictments related to January 6th — such as those of the fake electors in Michigan — should also be deemed “election interference” and stopped. Morris said:
“The Republican Party needs to not take this lying down….The Hosue Republicans should refuse to approve any spending for anything in the American government, including the Justice Department, and literally grind it to a halt, until the Justice Department agrees to drop its prosecution of anybody who is running for president.”
You can watch that below, but let’s cover why it’s a failed proposition before it even begins.
This wouldn’t be the first government shutdown over budget battles, which means that agencies — including the Department of Justice — have already made decisions about what activities would and wouldn’t “grind to a halt” in the event of a shutdown — and criminal prosecution would not be abandoned. According to the DOJ’s contingency plan:
“Criminal litigation will continue without interruption as an activity essential to the safety of human life and the protection of property.”
Of course, there’s also the obvious fact that complying with a terroristic demand to let an accused criminal go free would set a pretty risky precedent.
Even if the proposed blackmail could be allowed to work, it’s already clear that a lot of Congressional Republicans are getting tired of devoting their careers to defending and supporting Trump.
Though his sycophants have demonstrated that there are enough of them to stall and obstruct, it’s not clear just how long they’d be able to keep it up while their constituents struggle with the hardships that a shutdown inevitably brings.
Finally, there’s the fact that of Trump’s two current indictments, only one is Federal.
In the coming days and weeks, another Federal indictment is expected, and potentially another state-level indictment, in Georgia.
Shutting down the DOJ wouldn’t protect Trump from state indictments.
Newsmax host says Republicans should shut the government down over potential Trump indictmenthttps://t.co/9yHJJQjaK8 pic.twitter.com/v38quoZCjH
— Jason S. Campbell (@JasonSCampbell) July 20, 2023
Steph Bazzle covers politics and theocracy, always aiming for a world free from extremism and authoritarianism. Follow Steph on Twitter @imjustasteph.
