Page 2 - Executive Branch Function News Today

Kline. and the trump administration has just blanket resisting any effort by congress to look into this process because their claiming that its entirely an executive branch function. congress does not have any answers about how jared kushner got his clearance, who intervened. the president was saying he didnt have anything to do with it, even though we have reporting that contradicts that. its still an open question and its one of those areas where the trump administration is resisting congressi...

And there are subpoenas and information requests and they dont cite a single piece of legislation they are pursuing. not only that, they are taking over an executive branch function. they are afraid to call this impeachment hearing. this is oversight. you dont issue hundreds of subpoenas. >> laura: are you saying that if this were actually in impeachment proceedings then you wouldnt have a problem with these? >> they have to generate their own information. they cant be just redoing that and if t...

Dont cite a single piece of legislation they are pursuing. not only that, they are taking over an executive branch function. they are afraid to call this impeachment hearing. this is oversight. you dont issue hundreds of subpoenas. >> laura: are you saying that if this were actually in impeachment proceedings then you wouldnt have a problem with these? >> they have to generate their own information. they cant be just redoing that and if they were in good faith they would read through the mueller...

The white house has issued a letter, a white house lawyer, essentially saying to elijah cummings, you have asked us for all this information about security clearances, which are an inherently executive branch function. you, the congress, have no right to inquire into this. you certainly dont have a right to know what the fbi and cia determined about jared kushners fitness for a security clearance. and elijah cummings has responded this hour saying, well, in fact, theres plenty of press dependent...

To do what was described. >> he has the right, but is what he did right? what is the risk? sir? >> well, i was amused by, you know, her statement that the white house doesnt discuss security clearances. well, they sure discussed it a lot when they were threatening to take away clearances of certain critics. but she is right. the whole clearance process from identifying people that need access to background investigations, to adjudication, to granting a clearance, is a purely executive branch fun...

So i want to give you the latest line from the white house. here is what they will explain and not explain. >> we dont discuss security clearances. im not even going to discuss my own. but i will tell you that the president has the absolute right to do what was described. >> he has the right, but is what he did right? what is the risk? sir? >> well, i was amused by, you know, her statement that the white house doesnt discuss security clearances. well, they sure discussed it a lot when they were ...

He says, lets -- lets all put them on a lie detector. thought i had a sound bite but i dont. he said polygraph. are we seriously going to see a polygraph rolling into the west wing now? lets see. rob, are you with senator rand paul, libertarian on the lie detector tests. >> no. i think its silly. honestly, i mean, look, this is an executive branch function. this is a personnel matter. we can get into what we do about whether the times should have or should not have published it. i do not think t...

Grand old party wants to lead the way to undermine our law enforcement institutions. that would really turn my head upside down about what i thought they stood for. >> but they are already doing that because the effort to have congress declassify something, which classification is an executive branch function. so theyre already sort of on a separation of powers interfering with that. and then releasing classified information, which theyve now declassified and the president goes along with it bec...

In elijah makes accusations nats up to him but ill let bob mueller figure it out from what youve heard, do you think it rises to level of a crime? >> my mind is not wired that way. i cant take 20% of the information and draw a conclusion. were meeting with dan coats this morning. ill add to my body of information, my body of evidence this morning. its when you interview the last witness that you can draw a conclusion. you cant do it after you interview the first one. lets hear it all, but keep i...

Expect years and years of more investigations and committee hearings into things that you believe are wrongdoing? >> it depends. congress does not have jurisdiction. and frankly, we are terrible at investigating potential crimes. but the legislative branch does have an obligation to provide oversight. and part of that oversight, frankly, includes the department of justice. the department of justice is funded by congress. so we should provide oversight after things have happened. just like we sho...