Let's strip presidential power

What we learned from the last administration:

- The president can block Congressional subpoenas into his own investigation
- Can pardon people convicted in his own investigation

While there's a long list of ways we need to trim Presidential power, these two seem to be the biggest.

If a president can block subpoenas into his own wrongdoing, I don't need to state why this is dumb. Being able to pardon people convicted in your own investigation only encourages people to lie on your behalf. Roger Stone was convicted for false statements, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice. Trump pardoned him, a man convicted of 7 felonies.

This is a good time to cut the power of the President. Only problem? No one wants to relinquish it while *they* are in power.

Biden and the Dems can do some long-lasting good by having the balls to address this, but of course, they won't. They screamed for four years about Trump's corruption, and now when they're in a position to prevent such despotism, they're saying nothing about it. Yes, I'm being a bit unfair since Dems are just trying to push through policies after having almost no power for the last 4 years, but Trump round two is a real possibility, or someone even worse.

Boris Johnson's career is in legitimate jeopardy over a party during Covid lockdowns.

Contrast that with Trump admitting to lying about the severity of Covid and having multiple parties inside the White House, on top of super-spreader events like rallies. That, and the rest of his four years. It seems a U.S. president has no accountability.

@vivify said
What we learned from the last administration:

- The president can block Congressional subpoenas into his own investigation
- Can pardon people convicted in his own investigation

While there's a long list of ways we need to trim Presidential power, these two seem to be the biggest.

If a president can block subpoenas into his own wrongdoing, I don't need to state why ...[text shortened]... ost no power for the last 4 years, but Trump round two is a real possibility, or someone even worse.

@mott-the-hoople said
first there must be a legal investigation? second...you lie when you say Trump is blocking anything, they are free to issue subpoenas as they wish, but they are illegal because the democrat investigation is illegal. you should be more concerned with politicians using their power to attack the opposing party while the country is being ruined by inflation and lack of medicines for covid.

@vivify said
What we learned from the last administration:

- The president can block Congressional subpoenas into his own investigation
- Can pardon people convicted in his own investigation

While there's a long list of ways we need to trim Presidential power, these two seem to be the biggest.

If a president can block subpoenas into his own wrongdoing, I don't need to state why ...[text shortened]... ost no power for the last 4 years, but Trump round two is a real possibility, or someone even worse.

@wildgrass said
The problem with stripping these powers is that it would open up the executive branch to constant logistical gridlock from the minority party.

Bill Clinton's second term was completely ruined by Ken Starr. Ken Starr was not investigating anything. He was given the special prosecutor powers and went on a witch hunt from day 1, and wasted taxpayer dollars looking into any ...[text shortened]... subpoenas. He testified, and lied in an attempt to save his marriage, which caused his impeachment.

@mott-the-hoople said
first there must be a legal investigation? second...you lie when you say Trump is blocking anything, they are free to issue subpoenas as they wish, but they are illegal because the democrat investigation is illegal. you should be more concerned with politicians using their power to attack the opposing party while the country is being ruined by inflation and lack of medicines for covid.

@vivify said
Starr had legitimate reasons to go after Clinton.

Starr alleged Clinton lied under oath about his affair with Lewinsky, which he did. Plus, his position as president opens up issues of possibly abusing powers, since presidents, like an employee's boss, wields considerable influence over the careers of those under them.

Starr was obviously biased but I can't call his i ...[text shortened]... the presidency. Presidents shouldn't be able to issue pardons that could be conflicts of interest.

@wildgrass said
LOL the affair occurred more than a year after Starr began his investigation, and Clinton perjured himself (about the affair) 2 years after that. How's that a legitimate reason to go after Clinton?

@Mott-The-Hoople
You keep saying that while the perps are in jail.
You are so out on the right end of the limb you will NEVER come back to being a real human again.

You are stuck as a Trumpite cultist and there is NOTHING we can do to change that and the fact Trump has TEN court cases against him, one criminal and the rest as a result of civilian lawsuits I hope will bankrupt this corrupt EX Potus.

The bottom line is you don't care WHAT Trump does, the more ridiculous the better you love it.
He could LITERALLY shoot someone in Times Square and you would APPLAUD.

@vivify said
What we learned from the last administration:

- The president can block Congressional subpoenas into his own investigation
- Can pardon people convicted in his own investigation

While there's a long list of ways we need to trim Presidential power, these two seem to be the biggest.

If a president can block subpoenas into his own wrongdoing, I don't need to state why ...[text shortened]... ost no power for the last 4 years, but Trump round two is a real possibility, or someone even worse.

@vivify said
Didn't know that. It was Ken Starr's probe that uncovered Clinton lied about his relationship.

Okay, so this was a "witch-hunt" that actually uncovered something useful.

Either way, Clinton should not be able to stop such investigations, even if some are politically motivated. If there's nothing to hide, there should be no issue. Conversely, if the an investigatio ...[text shortened]... legitimate reason for it), a president being able to stop or hinder investigation would be corrupt.

@jimm619 said
The power to pardon is in The Constitution,
hence it would take an amendment to fix that(?)

@vivify

You are correct, of course. And if you really want to know why things are the way they are, ask yourself why the Dems right NOW, with control of the whole of congress and the executive, have done NOTHING to fix the problem, the same "problem" that Obama took advantage of.

the upper crust goes by a different standard, vivify.

@mott-the-hoople said
first there must be a legal investigation? second...you lie when you say Trump is blocking anything, they are free to issue subpoenas as they wish, but they are illegal because the democrat investigation is illegal. you should be more concerned with politicians using their power to attack the opposing party while the country is being ruined by inflation and lack of medicines for covid.