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US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump has refused to release materials demanded by Congress, asserting his presidential authority for the first time in an escalating conflict with Democratic Representatives.
The White House is seeking to shield a large swathe of material – including redacted portions of the special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian election interference – subpoenaed by lawmakers seeking to exert their oversight responsibility.
The rare move to invoke executive privilege came as a House of Representatives committee launched contempt proceedings against US Attorney General Bill Barr for failing to turn over the documents.
“Neither the White House nor Attorney General Barr will comply with Chairman (Jerry) Nadler’s unlawful and reckless demands,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said, referring to the Democratic head of the House Judiciary Committee.
Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd wrote to lawmakers that Trump had “asserted executive privilege over the entirety of the subpoenaed materials.”
He said Nadler’s effort to hold Barr in contempt had “terminated” their negotiations over which documents Congress would be allowed to see from Mueller’s investigation.
“This decision represents a clear escalation in the Trump administration’s blanket defiance of Congress’s constitutionally mandated duties,” Nadler said at the start of the contempt hearing.
Democrats have framed the broadening conflict as a constitutional crisis, with some calling for impeachment proceedings, while the administration accuses Democrats of seeking to tear down the president.
Judiciary Committee Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee offered a scathing rebuke of what she termed the White House’s “absolute lawless behavior.”
The president, she said, “seeks to take a wrecking ball to the Constitution of the United States of America.”
Trump took to Twitter to rail about the two-year investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller, whose report the president said has exonerated him of any wrongdoing.
“TREASONOUS HOAX!” Trump said, a reference to a favorite complaint that the probe was unwarranted and initiated as a political hit job by his opponents.
‘Disturbing evidence’
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Trump’s main Democratic nemesis in Congress, voiced support for the provocative contempt move, aimed at holding the president and his inner circle to account.
“I think that the attorney general should be held in contempt,” Pelosi told a conference in Washington.
Barr, in the nation’s top law enforcement post only since mid-February, defied a subpoena by the Judiciary Committee to turn over a complete copy of the Mueller report and the underlying evidence, and last week refused to testify before the panel.
The committee launched into debate on the 27-page contempt citation in which Nadler wrote that the Mueller report, even in redacted form, “offers disturbing evidence and analysis that President Trump engaged in obstruction of justice at the highest levels.”
Barr declared Trump cleared of conspiracy with Russia and obstruction of justice shortly after Mueller presented his 448-page report to the Justice Department in March.
Democrats have protested that Barr has sought to protect the president by refusing to present the full report or underlying evidence to Congress.
The political skirmish has played out on multiple fronts. The White House this week formally rejected a request by Democrats to turn over Trump’s tax returns, setting up what will likely be a prolonged legal battle.
And yesterday the administration instructed former White House counsel Don McGahn, a key figure in Mueller’s report, to withhold documents sought by the Judiciary committee.
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It would also be good if the government overhauled how it’s taught in our schools so people could learn how to speak it properly.
@johnbunton: Too right! Irish should be taught the same way as French or German, for example. Prose and poetry should be made optional for those who want to do it and these should be done in separate classes. Knowledge of the language should be prioritised first and foremost.
@johnbunton: it has been. 40% oral.
@Ken Loughman: I’m a fluent speaker and got top marks in LC Irish and I completely agree. Seperate language and literature papers, leave language as compulsory and have literature as an option. It’s hardly fair to those who struggle (either with languages in general or specifically with Irish) to be expected to have an in depth knowledge of the poems, plays etc if they’re finding it hard to grasp the actual language itself. Plus it’ll also benefit those who do have strong Irish as they’ll have another optional subject they can be confident in.
@Frainc Ó Broin: it’s still not enough in my opinion. Students all across Europe students are fluent in at least two languages. We start learning Irish at the age of 5 and stop at age of 17 or 18 and most people still don’t have a clue outside the set oral spiel we all have to give. There’s something very wrong with the system when you could get an A or B in higher level Irish and not be a fluent speaker at the end of it.
@Ebony: I based my comment on my own experience in secondary school. While I enjoyed learning the grammar I hated the prose and poetry. It serves absolutely no purpose for everyday situations in the 21st Century.
I should add that one of my great-grandmothers from Mayo was a native speaker and my Dad was fluent when he was younger. I regret not being fluent myself considering those connections to the language in my family. Still, there’s always Duolingo…
@Ken Loughman: It’s miles better than it was, at least at primary level. At least I think it is. My 7yo regularly comes out with a long mellifluous spiel, most of which I don’t understand.
@Ken Loughman: And how well do most Irish school leavers speak French or German ? Would a monolingual native speaker understand them or vv?
@Gearóid ÓCiaráin: Well, I speak both pretty well. I can guarantee you that school leavers who did French or German have a better chance of being able to use them in everyday situations than they would with Irish. That’s the whole problem with how Irish is being taught.
@johnbunton: it’s not how it’s taught – it’s whether or not people want to learn it – unfortunately most people don’t
@johnbunton: I think it’s also a matter of exposure. Any non-native English speakers who are fluent in English grew up watching the same films and listening to the same music as us – all in English!
@johnbunton: let’s gets teachers that engage with teachers first. My own personal experience is no interaction and Peig.
@Ken Loughman: very true im a fluent irish speaker and definitely the time spent learning poetry etc be better spent actually learning the language u don’t do french poetry or german to learn them
@johnbunton: what’s wrong with a big stick
@Thomas Harrington:I would argue that the way Irish is being taught, i.e. having to do prose and poetry at the same time instead of concentrating on the language itself, is one of the reasons why people don’t want to learn it.
The Clondalkin Irish scene is vibrant thanks in part to great work by those who established Aras Chronain. It’s worth a visit even if all you order is a Pionta, le do thol
Faoi dheireadh Caithfidh muid a bheith dóchasach go dtarlóidh sé mar a deireann siad
@Séan Ó Nuanáin: i hope to at some point be that good at irish like you. Started a course to get myself back to a decent level of irish again as i was quiet good at it in school. It all starts coming back to me the more im at it.
@shellakybooky: maybe you should start learning English first so you can be quite good at Irish.
#PrayForArlene
Irish was a complete waste of time in my secondary school. We did double Irish classes just to pass an exam but never learned how to really speak or understand real Irish
@Stipe Miocic: its sad isn’t it? I could start quoting Irish poetry to you but I haven’t a clue how to go about ordering a meal in a restaurant, buying cinema tickets etc in Irish. these are basic things you learn when you start learning another language so you feel confident speaking it. because of Polish friends who don’t treat me as an inferior species because I can’t speak the language I can speak more Polish than Irish &quite happily use it in Poland/ with Poles
@Stipe Miocic: and the fault lies with?
Arlene, will choke on her cornflakes.
Welcome to the the 21st century, where personal choice is welcomed, now to LGBT equality/rights
This entire sham is put into perspective when areas such as Clondalkin and Ennis are included.
@Adam Reid: Clondalkin has a thriving Gaelscoil. The area has a deep cultural interest and is steeped in history. The round tower garden was recently renovated and there’s a good buzz about the village. No better place to enthuse people of all ages to get involved in learning, or relearning their native language…. And of course they have Eoin Ó Broin and Lyn Boylan who do Trojan work in and for the area.
@Paul Linehan: Clondalkin has a chip shop; how many residents eat chips there?
@Adam Reid: Clondalkin also has Indian, Pizza and Chinese takeaways…. So I’m going to presume that they have choices!!!
Is fuath liom Gaeilge. D’fhéach fir brónach i gúnaí dubh a ghlac pléisiúr orthu siúd a bhí ag obair go rialta ag daoine nach bhfuaimnigh Éire mar a cheap siad gur chóir é a labhairt.
So what did we need an Irish Language Act for if we can just do this?
Seems almost like someone was trying to be antagonistic, when this could be sorted out in such a more graceful manner.
@alphanautica: Some people may have become addicted to drama, publicity and ‘historic moments’.
@Brendan O’Brien: You mean like the Majority of People in the North?? because thats who want an ILA.
So, incremental progress can be made through common sense.
Surely better than an all-or-nothing stand-off between massive tribal egos.
Do the DUP know this. ??
Proud to be Irish but Irish isn’t good for business……just saying
Stupid language
@Gearoid De Burca: Yes, English is a stupid language with everything backwards in comparison to rich languages like Irish.
@eastsmer: Irish speaking areas are full of people born with a sod of turf in their mouth.
@Gearoid De Burca: from the sounds of things, you were born with a sod of sh**e in yours.
@Gearoid De Burca: Hi Arlene!
@Gearoid De Burca: Coming from a person with an Irish name!
@Gearoid De Burca: Anyone who calls a language, any language, stupid is an ignoramus.
@Gearoid De Burca: you’re not much better obviously…..
@Leadóg: I just called it stupid
@Gearoid De Burca: With a name like yours..???
What planet are you on..
@Gearoid De Burca: At least its Irish turf.
@Gearoid De Burca: bitter that you were sh!te at Irish in school eh, Gerry Burke?
@Laura: You bite… You eat the same shite. So just grin with a wide one and except you’ve improved by at least on the higher intelligence ladder!!!
G
An Ghaeltacht should be a place where ”Native” Gaeilge is spoken or else change it to Gaeltacht Dhúchasach for example. Places like those mentioned in the article above could then use An Ghaeltacht.
Difference according to the article is that it covers only a handful of Gaeltacht areas and doesn’t supply any funding. ILA (I think) covers all areas with majority Irish populations and restores some funding that was previously cut.
have your say