Steve Roberts: Subpoenas and judges |
Two of the most tangible effects of the midterm elections can be summed up in two words: subpoenas and judges.
When Democrats take control of Congress in January, they will run all the committees. That means they can hire staff, mount investigations, hold hearings, summon witnesses, ask questions, demand documents and generally make life miserable for President Trump and his allies.
The incoming chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Robert Garcia of California, posted a potent warning to the White House on social media: “Lawyer up.”
“Lawmakers are laying the groundwork for an array of inquiries into President Donald Trump, his family and his administration,” The Washington Post reported just before the election. “Companies are scrambling to figure out how to handle subpoenas. Attorneys say they are being inundated with calls from clients trying to game out where Democrats … would focus their attention” if and when they won.
One of the most lasting legacies of any president is the federal judges they appoint to lifetime tenure. Trump named 245 judges during his first term, including three to the Supreme Court, and 56 of his nominations have cleared the Senate so far during his second term.
The........