In the Clinton years, CNN bemoaned the Republicans for investigating scandals. In the Trump years, CNN goads the Democrats to push harder on investigating scandals. On Tuesday, CNN New Day co-host John Berman sounded like a coach ripping into his team at half-time for its lack of aggressiveness, prodding Democrats into moving faster and harder against the Trump administration, asking when the "rubber will meet the road" and fretting the Dems will "succumb to the delay tactics" of the White House.
Maybe he should join Jerry Nadler's staff instead of being an "objective" journalist.
Washington Post reporter and CNN analyst Rachael Bade tried to cheer up poor John, insisting "you're going to see them go to court soon," although the Dems have to "look like" they're trying to work with the White House. The precise date and time of when Dems go to court are "TBD," said Bade, unless they take the more dramatic step of starting impeachment proceedings.
JOHN BERMAN: So Rachael, I guess my question is the bigger picture here, which is, at what point do the Democrats actually take action? They risk seeming like the boy who cried contempt, as it were here.
Because they’ve been talking about it for over a week now. So when does the rubber meet the road here? Steve Mnuchin saying no to the taxes. Will they take him to court this week, or start that process? The contempt stuff, will they vote on that now, or will they succumb to the delay tatics that the White House seems to be instituting here, just inching it forward day by day?
RACHAEL BADE: I think that you're going to see them go to court soon. I'm not sure exactly when: I don’t know if it’s going to be this week. But Democratic lawyers have sort of made this point over and over again: they have to look like they’re trying to work with the White House, they're trying to work with the administration. And that means giving them extension after extension after extension, and then going to court, which apparently bolsters their legal argument.
Clearly, Berman knows the emotional state of the CNN audience -- it's a bunch of Trump-loathing Democrats who are upset that he's still president. But Bade counseled patience:
BADE: For instance, in the case of Don McGahn, this is the first deadline at 10:00 A.M., I don’t expect us to hear anything about contempt today. If they — with Barr, they asked for the Mueller report, and they gave Barr another extension, I think two extensions. And they don’t exactly have a good relationship with Barr. But they are hopeful on McGahn, so I do think it's going to drag out a little bit. I’m not sure exactly when they go, but I would expect that, at some point, this is all going to head to the courts and, ultimately, if Democrats do not do impeachment of the President, judges are going to be the ones who decide these issues. And it's just TBD at what point in time.
