Ex-Ethics Chief Shaub Gives Republicans A Much-Needed Lesson About Democracy, The former head of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics used 16 posts to imagine “trying to explain democracy to someone who showed up at today’s trial with no knowledge of democracy except for (President Abraham) Lincoln’s quote about a ‘government of the people, by the people, for the people.’”
Shaub served under former President Barack Obama and resigned six months into Trump’s presidency. He has since become a vocal critic of the Trump administration.
“What they witnessed might raise a few questions,” he said.
Imagine trying to explain democracy to someone who showed up at today’s trial with no knowledge of democracy except for Lincoln’s quote about a “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” What they witnessed might raise a few questions. (Thread)
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) January 22, 2020
Q. Is the judge inexperienced?
A. He’s the top judge in the country.
Q. Why doesn’t he have this thing under control?
A. Oh, well, he has no power. The Republican Senators are in charge.
Q. But they’re the ones saying there shouldn’t be any witnesses or documents.
A. Yes.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) January 22, 2020
Q. It’s almost like they don’t want to uncover the truth. Shouldn’t they be objective?
A. Oh yes. They take an oath pledging to be objective.
Q. – –
A. It’s tradition.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) January 22, 2020
Q. It’s weird that the president’s lawyers are not even challenging the factual basis for the charges. Also, why are they shouting?
A. There’s this thing called Fox News that likes to play vignettes of white guys shouting.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) January 22, 2020
Q. How come the other side doesn’t already have all the documents and testimony they want?
A. The top lawyer in the president’s office wrote that he wouldn’t let them have any documents or witnesses.
Q. Why don’t they get that guy down here and ask him some questions?
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) January 22, 2020
A. He’s right over there, but the Senate majority won’t let them ask him any questions.
Q. Then, what’s his job here today?
A. He’s here to argue that the other side doesn’t have enough evidence to convict.
Q. The evidence he withheld from them?
A. Yes. That evidence.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) January 22, 2020
Q. But he complained that the other side didn’t give him documents.
A. Right.
Q. And they wouldn’t let his political party into the secure room he called a SCIF.
A. They were allowed in.
Q. And the people in charge of this trial didn’t mind that he said that?
A. No.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) January 22, 2020
Q. Do they deny that your president asked Ukraine to investigate his political rival?
A. No. That’s well established.
Q. But he just did it the one time?
A. Well, he asked China to do it too.
Q. How do you know?
A. He did it on live television.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) January 22, 2020
Q. So twice?
A. He also asked Russia to get emails belonging to another political rival.
Q. On live TV?
A. Yes.
Q. But they didn’t do it, right?
A. They released the emails before the election.
Q. That must have been the worst thing that could have happened to his rival.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) January 22, 2020
A. Some might say it was worse that the FBI revealed it was investigating her right before the election? Turns out they never found anything warranting prosecution.
Q. Isn’t that the agency his friends here in the Senate say was out to get him?
A. Yes.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) January 22, 2020
Q. Lucky for him he wasn’t under investigation.
A. Oh he was. And the investigation, which was taken over by the Justice Department, resulted in a lengthy report.
Q. I assume they cleared him of any wrongdoing too.
A. No. They explicitly said they couldn’t clear him.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) January 22, 2020
Q. So they revealed they were investigating his rival and concealed that they were investigating him, and then he got the most votes?
A. He lost by 3 million votes.
Q. – –
A. It’s complicated.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) January 22, 2020
Q. And they never prosecuted him?
A. The Justice Department refuses to prosecute a president.
Q. They work for him?
A. Technically, they work for a guy he picked.
Q. And that guy‘s loyal to him?
A. More so than the one he fired for not stopping the investigation of him.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) January 22, 2020
Q. So if this Justice Department won’t prosecute him, who can hold him accountable?
A. A majority of Senators.
Q. The ones who don’t want documents or witnesses?
A. Yes.
Q. And the American people, do they want him acquitted?
A. Surveys show a majority want him removed.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) January 22, 2020
Q. But they don’t support calling witnesses?
A. A majority of people do support calling witnesses.
Q. But witnesses won’t be called?
A. No.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) January 22, 2020
Q. So who said that line about government of, by and for the people?
A. President Abraham Lincoln.
Q. What was his party affiliation?
A. Republican.
Q. – –
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) January 22, 2020