Long-serving lawmaker Chuck Schumer is resorting to historical legislation in an attempt to exert pressure on President Donald Trump.
Schumer, who has been a member of Congress since his election to the House in 1980, announced on Thursday that he is invoking a nearly century-old law to demand the release of information regarding the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Despite his assurances that this is not a mere publicity stunt, it reeks of desperation.
According to the Western Journal, Schumer, during a press conference, referred to the "Rule of Five," also known as 5 U.S. Code 2954. This 1928 law mandates that any executive branch agency must comply with an information request from five members of the Senate Committee on Government Affairs, now known as the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Schumer labeled the law as "little known," which is understandable given its sporadic use by both parties and its involvement in court disputes over the separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches.
The last instance of this law's use was by Democrats stirring up controversy over the transformation of the Old Post Office Building in Washington, D.C., into the now-defunct Trump International Hotel. This was part of the Democrats' strategy during Trump's first term, hoping to find something that would stick.
By the time this case reached the Supreme Court in 2023, as reported by CBS News, Democrats were retreating. In an ironic twist of legal history, it was the Biden administration's Justice Department, represented by Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, that argued the law violated the separation of powers. The court dismissed the case without comment.
Schumer's recent maneuver is glaringly obvious, considering he has spent his entire professional career in government. For the past 45 years, he has been a fixture in Washington D.C., first in the House and now in the Senate.
Given this extensive background, it's highly likely that Schumer is aware that the law he's invoking is so controversial that even the Biden administration couldn't tolerate its infringement on executive powers, even when it was aimed at Trump and his first administration.
However, this hasn't deterred Schumer from invoking it in the Epstein case, a move that is likely to do nothing more than generate headlines featuring the words "Trump" and "Epstein." It paints a picture of the administration obstructing the Democrats' earnest attempts to uncover the truth. Schumer is banking on his allies in the mainstream media not reminding Americans that his party had four years under Biden's presidency to investigate Epstein. He's hoping Americans have forgotten that he was the Senate majority leader throughout Biden's term.
Despite his party's apparent righteous indignation about Epstein's associates, Schumer did make some valid points during his press conference. He criticized Trump and his team for their poor handling of the public relations surrounding the Epstein case.
However, Schumer revealed his true intentions when he denied any ulterior motives behind his actions, insisting on his genuine desire to uncover the truth. He then set a deadline he knows is meaningless to the Trump administration. "It's not a stunt. It's not symbolic," Schumer said, as reported by Fox News. "It's a formal exercise of congressional power under federal law. And we expect an answer from DOJ by Aug. 15."
In reality, it is a stunt. It is symbolic, and it's yet another example of Schumer's seemingly limitless ability to blend deception with self-promotion. Schumer and his Democratic colleagues are well aware that the law they're pretending to invoke is a liability in litigation. They know they could have used any opportunity during Biden's term to disclose every detail of every document mentioning "Jeffrey Epstein." They also know that Schumer's press conference was precisely what he claimed it wasn'ta publicity stunt, a gimmick, a show primarily designed to embarrass the president who has consistently outmaneuvered them.
The Democrats, led by Schumer, can't compete with Trump on the economy, which is thriving under Trump while it floundered under Biden. They can't compete with him on issues like illegal immigration, a matter settled in the election. They can't compete with him on foreign policy, as the failures of the Biden years in Afghanistan, Iran, and Ukraine made Jimmy Carter appear like a global powerhouse. So they resort to the Epstein casea desperate move by a desperate party that's almost pitiful to witness.
What they should realize, something that sensible Americans concluded long ago, is that Chuck Schumer's act is growing exceedingly tiresome. Even for Chuck Schumer, this is a new low.
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