Is Jerrold Nadler about to spark a true constitutional crisis with his threats to arrest Trump Cabinet officials?

By Jon Dougherty

Democratic arrogance and hubris never cease to amaze me. When they are in power, all of the rules and regulations and part of the Constitution that they care aboutÂ matter; when they’re not in power, nothing matters and no laws or rules are enforceable.

To wit: House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) just threatened to have Attorney General William Barr and another other Trump Cabinet official who refuses to testify before his panel arrested, jailed, and fined.

On Tuesday, in response to low-information reporters who have no idea how to challenge blowhard politicians and no inkling to do so when they are Democrats asked Nadler what he planned to do if AG Barr blew off his demand that he testify before the committee this week and any resultant subpoenas issued to compel them to testify.

“Someone is in contempt of Congress, you send the Sergeant at Arms and you arrest them. Alternatively you fine him $20,000 a day, whatever. We could do this,” Nadler toldÂ WCBS.

Nadler called ignoring congressional subpoenas â€œa fundamental bid to take power away from Congress and give it to the president â€“ to make the president much more of a monarch.â€

â€œWe cannot allow that,â€ Nadler continued. â€œAny president, any administration must be held accountable and Congress must be able to do its job.â€

Except, of course, when it was the Obama administration and the offending Cabinet official was Obama’s first AG, Eric Holder.

On June 20, 2012, the GOP-controlled House Government Oversight Committee voted 23â€“17 along party lines toÂ hold HolderÂ inÂ contempt of CongressÂ for not refusing to documents the committee had subpoenaed regarding the “Fast and Furious” scandal. On June 28, 2012,Â HolderÂ became the first U.S. Attorney General in history to beÂ heldÂ in both criminal and civilÂ contempt.

And nothing happened; the Justice Department inspector general later cleared Holder of any wrongdoing. And the Justice DepartmentÂ he ran refused to pursue the charges. Also, a federal court refused to honor the House’s contempt citation, which could have led to Holder being jailed.



