One of the lesser-known names on the new list of lawyers President Donald Trump approved to defend him during the Senate impeachment trial delivered a damning remark last month – damning for President Trump, that is.
“Contempt of Congress is illegal,” said Robert Ray, who served as the final Whitewater independent counsel after Ken Starr.
The Washington Post’s Paul Waldman and Greg Sargent report Ray made the stunning remark – one of the Articles of Impeachment essentially is contempt of Congress, or technically, obstruction of Congress – to The Daily Signal, a right wing website run by the conservative Heritage Foundation.
The Senate could force Hunter Biden and others to testify or face prosecution for contempt of Congress, said former independent counsel Robert Ray, who was involved in the investigation that led to Clinton’s impeachment.
“The Senate has the power to compel witnesses. So, subpoenas would be enforceable. Contempt of Congress is illegal. I don’t know that they have the votes, as a political question,” Ray told The Daily Signal.
That’s problematic for Trump, given his attorney has said the actions for which he is being charged are illegal.
Also problematic are these words: “No person is above the law, even the president of the United States.” Ray made that damning statement, as The New York Times reports, 20 years ago when Bill Clinton was the impeached president being tried by the Senate.
But if all that weren’t enough, proving just how bad a defense Ray has been spinning for Trump, his appearance on Fox News Business should have been an automatic “no” when Trump considered him.
On September 26, Ray told Maria Bartiromo there were not enough votes in the House, “yet,” to impeach Trump. Less than three months later Trump was impeached.
He also said, “impeachment to me is two things. You have to show both the high crime and misdemeanor, and you have to show an abuse of power.”
Trump was literally impeached for an abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Remember, Ray said “contempt of Congress is illegal,” and “you have to show an abuse of power.”
He seems to have been making the House’s arguments for them.