Donald Trump has yet another branding operation under way. This time, rather than bad cologne or suspect bottled water, he’s trying to put his stamp on how executive privilege works. To quote Indigo Montoya, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
The Insurrectionist-in-Chief and his accomplices who are being subpoenaed by the House committee investigating the January 6 insurrection are crying “executive privilege” and stonewalling a full accounting of what actually led to that awful day. Never mind that executive privilege isn’t an ironclad lockbox that wipes away all criminal and undemocratic activity by a former President and his cronies.
Steve Bannon hadn’t worked at the White House for around three years at the time in question, yet he is trying to use the power of the office to shield him from accountability.
Trump’s cries of executive privilege have so far lost in court, but there’s definitely no guarantee that will continue if this fight finds its way to the Supreme Court.
In the meantime, go ahead, try and use executive privilege for your criminal acts, it’s all the rage!