Democrats suddenly find their copies of Constitution

OPINION:

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, in an interview with Erin Burnett on CNN, said Democrats’ big concern with this White House was that it appeared, by all appearances, that President Donald Trump was trying to be a dictator.

And no good card-carrying member of the Democratic Party can stand for that, he said.

This is quite an astonishing turnaround for Democrats. After all, where was all this concern about dictatorial leadership when Barack Obama was king?

Suddenly, Democrats have found their copies of the Constitution.

“We’re simply exercising our oversight jurisdiction. And [Trump’s] not — he doesn’t understand or he’s not willing to concede to Congress that we have an oversight jurisdiction. We have to — you’ve had two years of sustained attacks by an administration of the nature that we haven’t seen probably in a century or more, against the free press, against the courts, against law enforcement administrations … against freedom of speech,” Nadler said, as Mediaite reported.

That’s called — Convenient Memory Syndrome.

Here’s are some headlines to refresh. First, from the Washington Examiner, from September 2018: “Obama, whose administration prosecuted and spied on reporters, claims Trump is very bad for criticizing newsrooms.”

The piece reminded how Obama blocked a Fox News reporter from taking part in a press conference; how the Obama Justice Department called a Fox journalist a “criminal co-conspirator” for using a State Department contractor as a source; how the Obama Justice Department secretly collected telephone records of Associated Press reporters and editors; and how the Obama administration took the top slot of all presidential administrations when it came to denying Freedom of Information Act requests.

Then this, from The Atlantic in November 2013: “Angry White House Photojournalists Demand More Access to the White House.”

And from The Washington Post, same month, same year: “News groups blast White House for restrictions on photographers.”

Let’s not forget Obama’s executive actions — more kinglike than limited power presidential in scope.

In January of 2013, for example, Obama unveiled 19 executive actions on gun control; in 2015, he issued an executive order to cut the federal government’s greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent of 2008 levels over 10 years; in 2014, he issued executive orders on immigration that opened U.S. doors to scores of illegals. All without Congress.

All without the will of the legislative branch.

Courts were called for some of Obama’s unilateral acts.

“Obama Recess Appointments Illegal, Unanimous Supreme Court Finds,” U.S. News wrote in June 2014.

Yet all along — all along the journey of Obama’s presidency — Democrats remained largely quiet, largely silent, largely approving of all the ramrod style of governing. Now?

For Trump?

“We have to … maybe come up with legislative limits on power or maybe do other things,” Nadler said. “But we have to make sure that this is not a dictatorship and that the rule of law is respected.”

Great. Now if only Democrats had the same standard for the previous administration.

Maybe their hypocrisy hats wouldn’t be glaring so brightly.

• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley.