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White House blocks another congressional request
The president, his three adult children and his businesses have filed lawsuits to prevent their banks and long-time accountant from releasing financial records subpoenaed by congressional committees in connection with their investigations.
In a widening confrontation between the Trump administration and congressional Democrats, the White House on Tuesday prohibited a former counsel from turning over documents to a House panel, the day after the treasury department refused to hand over the president’s income tax records.
The White House told the House judiciary committee the documents it had sought from the former counsel Don Mcgahn were provided to him in connection with “cooperation with the special counsel’s investigation and with clear understanding that the records remain subject to the control of the White House … (and) they implicate significant executive branch confidentiality interests and executive privilege”.
The panel should redirect its request for these records to the White House for them, Counsel Pat Cipollone wrote to Jerrold Nadler, chairman of the House judiciary committee.
This was another block on request for witnesses and records made by Democrats pertaining to their investigations being conducted by multiple committees of the House of Representatives, including a sweeping probe of alleged corruption, abuse of power and obstruction of justice.
On Monday, US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin refused to hand over Donald Trump’s personal income tax and told the House ways and means committee its request for them did not “serve a legitimate legislative purpose” and releasing them could be a violation of privacy.
Also on Monday, attorney general William Barr refused to release an un-redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian meddling. The House judiciary committee has scheduled a vote on Wednesday to forward a contempt of Congress petition against him to the full House.
The president, his three adult children and his businesses have filed lawsuits to prevent their banks and long-time accountant from releasing financial records subpoenaed by congressional committees in connection with their investigations.
President Trump has argued that he fully cooperated with Mueller’s probe, allowed officials to give testimony and handed over records and now that its investigations found no evidence he or any member of his campaign conspired with Russian meddling it was time to move on.
Democrats, however, are drilling down on obstruction of justice. Mueller had cited ten episodes of potential obstruction of justice but did not find enough evidence to establish the offence. They have questioned Barr’s clean-chit on this issue.
More than 450 former federal prosecutors said in a joint letter on Monday that if Trump was not the president, he could have been charged with obstruction of justice based on Mueller’s findings. A justice department guideline protects a sitting president from prosecution.
