Here’s why that matters. Van Hollen is unlikely to prevail against the deeply connected Schumer. But his bid could still accomplish something important. It could force a serious discussion in the Democratic caucus about how far to go in wielding congressional power—and which authorities they’re willing to fully deploy—to check Trump’s lawlessness and derail his efforts at authoritarian consolidation, which are very much ongoing despite last week’s electoral bloodbath.
Van Hollen wants his leadership bid to be understood in such terms. “I believe that we should use our full power in the United States Senate to respond to the calls of the American people,” he told MS NOW’s Jen Psaki. He cited the need to defund Trump’s Iran war as an example, saying Democrats should end it “now” because it’s “illegal and senseless.”
This week, Brian Beutler and I published a long TNR piece on exactly this topic. The threshold issue, we argued, is as follows. It’s nice that Democrats are vowing aggressive oversight and accountability efforts. But what will they be willing to do when Trump and his co-conspirators contemptuously decline cooperation with congressional demands, by throwing subpoenas in the garbage, laughing at letters requesting information and documents, and possibly even refusing to appear at hearings?
On that topic, Van Hollen’s interview with MS NOW’s Psaki—which was otherwise good and illuminating—didn’t shed much light. Indeed, it raised some causes for concern.
Yet this answer revealed a strange disconnect. Van Hollen did stress that Blanche’s Justice Department shenanigans should face intense oversight. But left undiscussed was the fact that impeachment boosts congressional authorities and tends to produce more insider witnesses of malfeasance. This would make it easier for Democrats to overcome inevitable DOJ resistance to that oversight. Impeaching Trump might do the same more broadly.
A leadership battle is exactly where such debates can be fleshed out.
Similarly, Representative Jamie Raskin has said Democrats should use the spending power to defund corrupt and baseless prosecutions ordered by Trump. That will also create politically challenging moments. We need Van Hollen and Schumer to debate this, too.
Deploying the power of the purse: refusing to appropriate an agency or department, or even specifically the salary of the executive branch member who is being subpoenaed until information is supplied.
It seems self-evident that Van Hollen is more likely to carry out this mission than Schumer. That said, Schumer can now surprise everyone by signaling newfound aggressiveness himself. The key threshold question is: Will Democrats be willing to deploy all the congressional authorities at their disposal to stop Trump’s lawlessness and thwart his ongoing effort to consolidate an authoritarian state? On this urgent matter, a leadership battle could prove illuminating indeed.
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