Schiff secretly subpoenas phone records for Trump's attorney and a Repub congressman

In case you just arrived on the planet, Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff has been holding an "impeachment inquiry." But here's what you missed: Schiff secretly subpoenaed phone records, not only of Trump's attorneys, but also of Republican congressman Devin Nunes.

If this doesn't outrage you, you don't understand what it means.  Which is fair enough.

If you're like most Americans you likely don't see anything wrong with the idea of a law-ignoring congress-shit getting your cell provider to give him (or her) your phone records.

So how would you feel if the congress-shit intercepted and opened your mail?

Would that be...different?

Why?

"Ummm, cuz...uh..."

It's certainly worse, but actually not substantively different.  Here's why:  Most of us have a reasonable expectation of privacy.  Of course it's settled law (for what that's worth) that the government can legally tap your phone, read your mail...or get records of who you called.  But only if the gruberment convinces a judge--by a preponderance of evidence--that you've likely violated the law.

Got it?  Good.

Schiff did NONE of this.  Instead he unilaterally, secretly, issued a "congressional subpoena" to AT&T for the call records of Rudy Giuliani, Jay Sekulow and...Republican congressman Devin Nunes. 

Like most corporations, AT&T is infested with anti-Trump leftists, and immediately complied with the illegal demand.  (It will be VERY interesting to learn which ATT execs and attorneys knew about Schiff's demand and approved the corporation's cooperation.)

It's also worth noting that Rudy Giuliani is one of the president’s attorneys.  Honest judges are usually unwilling to override attorney-client privilege.  But here there wasn't any judicial involvement at all.  Hmmm....

Schiff issued the secret subpoena--avoiding the courts--because he believe getting rid of Trump--or at least severely damage his re-election chances--overrides everything.  And because he's confident that no matter how brazenly he violates the law, he won't be held to account.

Note the irony:  Schiff piously claims he’s defending the rule of law, but brazenly breaks the law because the end justifies the means.  What an arrogant, self-righteous crapweasel, eh?

Wall Street Journal columnist Kimberley Strassel has a good column about how Schiff engaged in gross congressional overreach:

The media is treating this as a victory, when it is a disgraceful breach of ethical and legal propriety. Schiff is the first congressman to use his official powers to spy on a fellow member of congress and publish the details.

The time line reveals Schiff's bad faith:  On Sept 30th he subpoenaed Giuliani directly, demanding that he furnish the demanded records by Oct. 15.  Yet on the same day Schiff demanded Giuliani's records from Giuliani, he ALSO subpoenaed AT&T.

Schiff purposely kept the subpoena to AT&T secret--an act calculated to give Giuliani the impression that Schiff wouldn't subpoena AT&T unless Giuliani failed to comply by the October 15th deadline.

Issuing the subpoena to AT&T on the same day--without notifying Giuliani--also ensured that Giuliani wouldn't have a chance to contest the subpoena in court.

If the Dems will do this to a fellow congressman, is there anything they'd shrink from doing to YOU?