WASHINGTON — House Democrats plan to press forward with legislation aimed at preventing abuses of presidential power, strengthening Congress’ ability to enforce subpoenas and boosting protections for whistleblowers in what supporters of the measures say is largely a response to Donald Trump’s actions as president.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., will highlight the Protecting Our Democracy Act during a press conference alongside its chief sponsor, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
The measure would limit a president’s pardon power, require presidential candidates to be transparent with their tax records and extend a deadline for prosecuting former presidents and vice presidents for federal crimes committed before or during their time in office, according to the group Protect Democracy, which is advocating for the measure.
It would also ensure that incoming presidents have access to resources for the transition period following an election and would require the disclosure of contacts between the White House and Justice Department.
“The proposals respond to longstanding vulnerabilities in our democracy that have allowed for the aggrandizement of presidential power, many of which have been exploited over decades by presidents of both parties, and some of which reached new heights through the actions of the Trump administration,” the group says on its website.
Donald Trump, for example, has refused since his campaign for president to release his tax records, repeatedly claiming that he couldn’t do so because the IRS was conducting an audit of his documents.
Before Trump left office, he pardoned hundreds of people including his former campaign manager Paul Manafort, his former adviser Roger Stone, his other former campaign manager, Steve Bannon, and his former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Democrats introduced the measure in previous Congresses. If the measure advances in the House, Democrats would need at least 10 Republicans in the Senate to support the package for it to advance to a final vote.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
