The odor of corruption and criminality engulfing the Trump administration has forced Democrats in Congress to oppose the president on two fronts—one in the realm of legislation, and another in the realm of oversight.

Complicating matters further is the fact that the nature of the two fights are thematic opposites. The investigations of the Trump Organization and Russian meddling in the 2016 election are overwrought with dramatic tension. Explosive new details spill out on a near-daily basis, as one witness after another—former FBI Director James Comey last week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions this week—testifies before the Senate. Legislation and oversight are equally important congressional prerogatives, each of enormous public interest, but only the latter is producing big news at the moment.

That is in large part due to the extraordinary, scandalous steps Republicans are taking to advance legislation that would take health insurance away from millions. Senate Republicans have all but completed a secret bill, the precise contents of which are only known to the 13 men who drafted it, the analysts at the Congressional Budget Office (who are duty-bound not to leak), and, in all likelihood, health industry lobbyists, whose influence in this instance is as opaque as the legislation itself.

The process is secretive precisely to limit the number of bombshell stories that can be told about it—to keep the media in the dark so that public pressure is held at bay until the bill becomes law, and it’s too late.

Nothing about GOP health bill today on the front pages of any of 4 of America's most influential papers — LA Times; NYT; WashPo; WSJ pic.twitter.com/p85FbL0vDl — Jeff Stein (@JStein_Vox) June 13, 2017

If there’s consolation for Republicans in Trump’s scandal-plagued presidency, it’s that the wattage of the scandals serves, in effect, as a distraction from the fact that the party’s top legislative objective is so toxic they have to treat it as highly classified information. But the scandals may be so severe and fast-moving that they’re increasing the GOP’s desperation to pass a ruinous and inhumane health care bill as quickly and quietly as possible, before the Trump administration experiences complete political collapse and the window to accomplish anything at all closes.

