Little Rock       Here’s a thought from the Democrats:  an Anti-Corruption Agency.  Leaders in the US Senate and House of Representatives have said they are introducing legislation that they hope resonates with the American public.  They believe there is an increasing distaste about the grift and greed that revolves around Trump and his family, the $2.2 billion he has made during his short time in office this round, and conflicts of interest all the way down.  Maybe they’re right?  Maybe a line has finally been crossed?

In their notion, according to the Washington Post, such an agency if created would have…

…broad investigative authority, including subpoena power. It would absorb three existing agencies — the Office of Government Ethics, the Federal Election Commission and the Office of Special Counsel — and place them under a new agency led by seven board members who would be confirmed by the Senate. No more than three board members could come from each party.  The bill would bar presidents and vice presidents — along with their spouses and adult children — and many senior administration officials from “corruptly” seeking or accepting anything worth more than $50,000. It would allow state attorneys general and private plaintiffs to sue over violations.

This is their shot along with the other themes they are touting going into the coming midterms, like affordability, the war, utility prices, affordable housing, and more.

Such a proposal makes some sense for them politically, but, if passed, now or in the future, would it make a difference?  Not sure about that, because it depends on those in power, especially in the White House, to play by the rules, follow usual norms, and willingly obey the law for the good of all.  Trump has taught us and much of the world that the vaunted guardrails in the balance of powers, independent judiciary, and more, fall somewhere in reality between flimsy and fictional.

Given the US Supreme Courts’ recent decisions wildly expanding the power and prerogatives of the president and the executive branch, can there really be such a thing anymore as a truly “independent” agency?  The majority of justices seemed to pause at obliterating the independence of the Federal Reserve, but otherwise formerly independent agencies and their board members are pretty much “at will” now.  This proposed agency might look bipartisan, but that doesn’t mean its members will actually be appointed as we have seen in the past with the Federal Election Commission and other out of favor regulatory agencies.

The president and his people would still have the whip hand.  Sure, the Senate might have to approve the appointments, but that presumes the Senate once again becomes a more independent body, which doesn’t exist now in hyper-partisanship, and might not exist in the future regardless of which party is in power.  What guarantees that a political fraudster wouldn’t ignore this agency, fire its members, and more, as we’ve seen over the last few years in America.

Finally, how can it possibly be against corruption, if somehow, it would be ok to grab $50,000.  That seems to be saying it would be ok to have your arms in the till up to your shoulders, but you couldn’t just jump in whole hog.  Fifty grand might not seem like much to the many millionaires in Congress, but still stinks to high heaven to the rest of us.

Maybe they are right and the public wants something like this, but maybe the public is becoming as cynical as me about corruption and doesn’t believe that these folks can heal themselves under the current setup.  In practice, I’m dubious, even if the politics look promising for the opposition.