President Donald Trump's decision to keep acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in his current position should be used in a third impeachment proceeding, according to a new column.
Longtime DC insider Michael Tomasky wrote that the president would rather leave the attorney general seat open with an acting administrator rather than agree to forgo his "slush fund" and IRS immunity deal in writing.
On Friday, Tomasky pointed to Trump's Thursday Truth Social post announcing his intention of keeping Blanche in his current position rather than work out an agreement with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
As he wrote, "It’s a full-blown scandal, as President Trump’s real interests here have become clearer, notably via a Truth Social message he posted late Thursday morning. It’s raw sewage even by his standards, and if the Democrats retake the House, this matter has now jumped to the top of my list of grounds for impeachment.”
Asserting that Trump's unwillingness to negotiate on the slush fund and IRS immunity protections represents an abuse of power worthy of formal charges, he added, "Sending $1.8 billion in taxpayer dollars, received in the corrupt manner this money was received, to convicted January 6 insurrectionists is without question a high crime in and of itself."
According to Tomasky, at the rate Trump is going, Democrats, should they gain control of the House in November, may have "hundreds" of charges that can be folded into the articles of impeachment but, as he put it, "The slush fund and immunity grant sure look like count number one to me."