We Knew That

We knew that. We knew that too.

Various committees of the House of Representatives have showered the executive branch with subpoenas for information about the despised President. What would a person willing to emerge from the partisan caves (or those who never entered) make of the situation?

Jerry Nadler has demanded an unredacted version of the Mueller Report. He has been offered access to a version that redacts only Grand Jury material. He has not availed himself of the opportunity to read that version. The AG cannot legally show him Grand Jury material except by court order. Jerry is unlikely to find a judge who would issue such an order and he would surely lose on appeal if he did.

We knew that. So does Jerry.

A demand has been sent to the IRS for six years of Mr. Trump’s tax returns. The stated legislative purpose to to see if the IRS is auditing the President’s tax returns as they are legally obligated to do. Since four of the years in question precede Trump’s presidency, the rationale is suspect. In the event the returns are obtained, we will learn that Mr. Trump and his accountants used all legal means to lower his tax bill.

We knew that. Those who make taxable income use the provisions of the tax code to minimize their tax bill or ask those who prepare their tax returns to do so. Those who don’t owe income tax try to maximize their Earned Income Tax Credit. I’ve never met anybody who bragged about sending the IRS extra money.

We will also find out that Mr. Trump is a lot less rich than he claims to be.

We knew that. It would not be the first Trumpian exaggeration to which we have been subjected.

Subpoenas have been sent to two banks that lent money to Trump. He and his family have sued to prevent the banks from complying. In the event the House finds a judge who compels disclosure, and the ruling is sustained on appeal, we will find out that Mr. Trump exaggerated his net worth when applying for loans.

We knew that. It’s common practice for business borrowers to show as much net worth as possible when looking for a loan, often to the point of exaggeration. The banks also knew that. Credit officers are a skeptical lot. The banks obviously concluded that the interest income they projected to make justified the risk they took in making the loans.

So . . . what can we derive from this exercise?

1. We are very unlikely to learn anything new.
2. The Democrats have a fine vehicle to animate their base and raise funds.
3. The 2020 election campaign has begun. Attempts by the House committees to further tarnish Trump’s reputation may help or may backfire.
4. Litigation will frustrate most of the requests for materials, if not all.
5. Mostly what we are getting is political theater.
6. The House members would be more productive if they sought out areas of common ground with the President (there may be a few) and passed some useful legislation.