PHOTO: Donald Trump speaks in the White House Rose Garden, May 22, 2019


Donald Trump threatens to shut down Federal Government business unless hearings into Trump-Russia contacts, obstruction of justice, and his tax and financial affairs are halted.

Trump walked out of a meeting after five minutes with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday. The discussion was supposed to be on a national infrastructure plan, but Trump said it could not proceed after Pelosi — noting attempts by the White House and Trump lawyers to block hearings and defy subpoenas — said earlier in the day that there was a “cover-up”.

Through the day, speculation was on whether Trump lost his temper or staged the walkout, followed by an impromptu statement in the White House Rose Garden.

But the effect was same: Trump will not co-operate with Congress until, in his words, Democrats “get these phony investigations over with”.

The ban could affect not only the infrastructure proposal but also proposals for disaster relief, trade deals, and the Administration’s budget.

Trump’s immediate concern was to deny that he had thrown a tantrum: “I was purposely very polite and calm….It is all such a lie!” He also retweeted pro-Trump acocunts declaring a “criminal conspiracy” against him.

But the timing indicated that Trump is rattled by the expanding inquiries, and the failure of the White House and his lawyers to shut them down.

The Trump camp has defied subpoenas and possible contempt of Congress charges. Attorney General William Barr refusing to hand over the unredacted Mueller Report on Trump-Russia and obstruction of justice to legislators and to appear before the House Judiciary Committee. Former officials such as White House Counsel Donald McGahn, a key figure in Trump’s obstruction of justice cases, have been ordered not to provide documents or give evidence. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has blocked any handover of Trump’s tax returns.

But on Tuesday, a Federal judge said Trump’s accountants must comply with a House Oversight Committee subpoena for Trump’s financial records. And yesterday another judge said the Oversight Committee must be given records of Trump’s loans from Deutsche Bank and Capital One.

Last weekend, it was revealed that Deutsche Bank systems and staff flagged suspect transactions by Trump, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and their companies with foreign entities and individuals in 2016-17. Those transactions included movement of money with Russians during and after the 2016 Presidential campaign.

Deutsche Bank executives blocked any reporting to the US Treasury of the suspect dealing.

The Justice Department did make a limited concession on Wednesday, agreeing to provide some material related to the Mueller Report to the House Intelligence Committee.

A Trump Set-Up?

Both Pelosi and Schumer said after Trump’s performance that it was staged.

Their evaluation appeared to be confirmed by the scene in the Rose Garden, where a lectern was set up with a pre-printed sign falsely declaring “No Collusion, No Obstruction” and statistics claiming the investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller was more than thorough — thus obviating any need for hearings — and misrepresenting Mueller’s team as “18 Angry Democrats”.

Trump blared: “Instead of walking in happily into a meeting, I walk in to look at people that have just said that I was doing a cover-up. I don’t do cover-ups.”

Pelosi, who has held out so far against a move to impeachment proceedings, responded:

“He just took a pass and it just makes me wonder why he did that. In any event, I pray for the President of the United States and I pray for the United States of America.”

Pelosi indicated later at a Center for American Progress forum that Trump’s tactics were edging her towards support of an impeachment process: “In plain sight, this President is obstructing justice and is engaged in a cover-up. And that could be an impeachable offense.”

Schumer said, “To watch what happened in the White House would make your jaw drop.”

He added his conclusion that Trump also set up the walkout because the Administration could not figure out — amid its record Federal deficit — how to pay for the infrastructure plan.

“There were investigations going on three weeks ago when we met, and he still met with us. But now that he was forced to actually say how he would pay for it, he had to run away. And he came up with this pre-planned excuse.”

White House aides said a Trump walkout did not come up at an 8:30 a.m. meeting of the communications team. But when Trump saw Pelosi’s comments, made around 10 am, he seethed with anger. At a session with aides about 45 minutes before the 11:15 am meeting, he laid out his intention to leave abruptly.

When Trump entered the Cabinet Room for the meeting, he did not take his seat but stood at the end of the table and berated Pelosi and Schumer.

After he left, Pelosi told a story about how Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt had brought people together to solve infrastructure problems.

“I knew he was looking for a way out,” Pelosi said. “We were expecting this.”