Trump impeachment manager threatened with defamation charges
Comments by members of Congress, even stupid and irrational, mostly are protected by the "speech and debate" clause of the Constitution – as long as the comments are part of the legislative process. But now a letter from a legal team representing congressional witness Tony Bobulinski is charging that U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, the Democrat…
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U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., as House impeachment manager on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021.
Comments by members of Congress, even stupid and irrational, mostly are protected by the "speech and debate" clause of the Constitution – as long as the comments are part of the legislative process.
But now a letter from a legal team representing congressional witness Tony Bobulinski is charging that U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, the Democrat from Maryland most famous for leading the impeachment case against former President Trump, stepped outside of that authority when he publicly slammed the witness, who has provided key evidence to Congress in its investigation into the evidence for impeaching Joe Biden.
In fact, according to the letter from lawyers Jesse Binnall and John C. Sullivan, representing Bobulinski, Raskin "mocked" various witnesses to Congress and posted a "freeze frame" that shows Bobulinski, with the chyron, "A disgruntled Wannabe Business Partner Turned Trump World Hype man."
Raskin further publicly described Bobulinski as "a bitterly frustrated would be business partner who collaborated with the Trump campaign" and a "dubious" witness. And he called Bobulinski a "political pawn" and accused him of lying.
The letter warns Raskin, "You are not entitled to any immunity for your defamatory statements. The Speech and Debate Clause comes from Article I, Section 6, Clause 1 of the United States Constitution, and it includes, in relevant part: 'for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.'"
But that only protects activities "undertaken in the House and Senate," and provides no immunity "beyond its carefully defined scope," the lawyers warn. "Anything that is not a legislative activity will not be protected."
The letter warns Raskin, "Your statements are derogatory falsehoods, rendering them legally actionable. Your pattern of maliciously defaming Mr. Bobulinski is well-established and will not be tolerated."
The lawyers explain that they will file litigation over Raskin's public and social media statements "if you fail to delete and publicly retract recent defamatory statements and publications you made about Mr. Bobulinski, including on X (formerly Twitter). Be further advised that you should identify and preserve all hard copy and electronically stored documents, information, and data that relate, in any way, to the subject matter of your incessantly malicious defamatory conduct. It was a mistake to believe that your publications were made without consequence. It must, and will, stop immediately."
The lawyers also cite "evidence" of Raskin's "malice," in that he's following a "blind adherence to a preconceived narrative."
Bobulinski, a onetime business associate of Hunter Biden, has provided testimony to Congress that confirms the influence peddling operations run by the Biden family, which generated millions for family members, was focused on access to Joe Biden, who was, in fact, party to those operations.
Bobulinski, during his appearance in Congress, called leftists in the body liars, and a ruling from the committee found that he was not out of order in doing so.
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