Glenn Greenwald thread on Congress' 1/6 committee overreach

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I really wish people would read the Supreme Court's McCarthy era cases. The Court demanded answers from Congress on why they had the right to investigate private citizens' Communist associations & plots given *only* DOJ has the power to investigate crimes. Congress' reply, 1957:

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The Court -- both during Congress' McCarthy probes and before -- stressed that while Congress can issue subpoenas to help write new laws or exert oversight over the Executive, compelling private citizens to answer about their political acts is particularly dangerous and dubious.

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The most recent Congressional Research Service report on the limits of Congress' power to investigate -- and there are real limits! -- made clear that the exact excuse given by the 1/6 Committee (we need to know!) is exactly what is an invalid ground for investigating Americans.

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I'm going to have my article on all this up soon. Writing about long-standing legal precedent is never easy. But to say that Congress' 1/6 Committee is constitutionally dubious -- not just its extreme subpoenas but its very existence -- is an understatement. It's major overreach.
There are legal experts defending the Committee. But there are also many legal scholars, including left-liberal ones, expressing serious concerns. But it's all absent from media discourse. Just like after 9/11, to question any government action is to side with the 1/6 Terrorists.
Most amazing: the 1/6 Committee members -- Adam Schiff, Liz Cheney, Kinzinger, etc -- seem unaware of all this. They don't even pretend they're investigating private citizens to write new laws or do oversight. Their excuse - we must know! - is what the Court has said is invalid.
Fear 1/6 and hate those involved all you want. There are still vital reasons for these limits on Congress' power to investigate private citizens & why only FBI/courts can do that. The McCarthy probe showed the dangers, as will future investigations if this becomes precedent.

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It's surreal how liberal conduct regarding 1/6 is identical to neocon tactics right after 9/11. Any concerns or doubts about the constitutionality or ethics of a government act prompts one of 2 replies:

1) Dude, we were attacked!

2) You'll say anything to defend the Terrorists.

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