Referencing the Speech or Debate clause in the Constitution, Rep. Thomas Massie is claiming a right to read aloud from any document at issue in the Donald Trump indictment. Massie essentially threatens to read Top Secret national security documents aloud on the floor of the House of Representatives.
Those House proceedings, as all proceedings on the floor, would be broadcast on C-SPAN and available to anyone in the world.
For what it’s worth, under the Constitution, no member of Congress can be prosecuted for reading aloud on the floor any of the documents Trump allegedly has copies of.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) June 12, 2023
Massie faced challenges on his legal justification and on the larger issue of whether, even if the letter of the law permitted the act, it would still be subject to punishment given the risk such a move could pose to the U.S. national security.
One respondent writes: “You and anyone that hears you read must possess the appropriate clearance. Some of the documents cannot even be viewed outside of SCIF.”
[NOTE: SCIF stands for “sensitive compartmented information facility” — an enclosed area within a building that is used to process sensitive compartmented information types of classified information.]
Try reading a top-secret/SCI document out loud on the floor of Congress and see what happens. Not that you will ever get access to one.
— caring 💙🇺🇸🌈✌🏻 (@caringguy1957) June 12, 2023
You and anyone that hears you read must possess the appropriate clearance. Some of the documents cannot even be viewed outside of SCIF.
What…
Massie, an MIT grad and former entrepreneur, has represented Kentucky’s 4th district in the House since 2012, when he rode the Tea Party wave into Congress. Notably, Massie serves on the House Committee on Rules which is one of the oldest and most powerful committees in Congress.
The Framers didn't endow unaccountable bureaucrats with the power to legislate.
— House Rules Committee (@RulesReps) June 6, 2023
They vested that sacred duty in Congress.
As @RepThomasMassie makes clear, @HouseGOP
is restoring the proper constitutional order in Washington. pic.twitter.com/sn2VSH87QH
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