House Democrats now have subpoena power! Great! But how will they use it? One of Trump’s talents is making himself look like a victim, and overreaching could backfire.
Here is a partial list of the issues that will come up, and how they should be handled:
1. Trump’s tax returns: Go for it! This is likely to turn into a long and difficult process, but it will be worth it. Trump is violating previous promises and longstanding norms by refusing to release the returns, the blue base will insist, there is a sound legal basis for the request, and the returns can provide answers to perfectly legitimate questions outside of Mueller’s scope of work about Trump’s sources of income and how they relate to his foreign policy decisions.
2. Misfeasance, excessive business influence, and simple grifting within federal agencies: Absolutely. That’s the whole point of having this power, and there’s plenty to investigate.
3. Restarting the Russia investigation: Only if Mueller is prevented from finishing his work. Leave this one to the professionals.
4. Investigating the Kushners: Probably not. It’s too collateral, and the risks of a backlash outweigh the benefits.