Tag: Trump Russia scandal

Congress wins battle for Trump aide’s testimony, but a broader war over subpoena power goes on

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Former White House counsel Donald McGahn’s interview with congressional investigators Friday will close one lingering chapter of House Democrats’crusade to hold the Trump administration to account — but is likely to leave uncertainty in its wake about what will happen in lawmakers’ next test of wills with the White House.

McGahn, considered a star witness in former special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, flouted a congressional subpoena for two years and is not expected to offer any bombshell revelations about former president Donald Trump — beyond those he already provided to Mueller — when he meets with the House Judiciary Committee behind closed doors.

Instead, the appearance is Democrats’ way of demonstrating that congressionalsubpoenas must be obeyed — an argument they offered throughout a lengthy legal battle that seemed destined to reach the Supreme Court before a deal with the Biden administration ended the fight in what may prove to be a political win, but at best is a constitutional draw. Continue reading.

Republican senators show little urgency to pass law protecting Mueller

The following article by Karoun Demirjian was posted on the Washington Post website December 20, 2017:

Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) on Dec. 20 warned President Trump against firing special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. (U.S. Senate)

Republican senators who worked swiftly last summer to help write legislation protecting special counsel Robert S. Mueller III now are showing little urgency to get those measures passed.

The legislation, which would allow a panel of federal judges to review orders to fire the special counsel, was intended to prevent President Trump from pushing out Mueller before he completes his investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Continue reading “Republican senators show little urgency to pass law protecting Mueller”

House Republicans quietly investigate perceived corruption at DOJ, FBI

The following article by Kyle Cheney and John Bresnahan was posted on the Politico website December 20, 2017:

The group was born out of frustration over the Justice Department’s refusal to explain how it used a disputed dossier.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, who previously had recused himself from the panel’s Russia investigation, arrives ahead of White House Senior Advisor and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s interview on Capitol Hill on July 25. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images

A group of House Republicans has gathered secretly for weeks in the Capitol in an effort to build a case that senior leaders of the Justice Department and FBI improperly — and perhaps criminally — mishandled the contents of a dossier that describes alleged ties between President Donald Trump and Russia, according to four people familiar with their plans.

A subset of the Republican members of the House intelligence committee, led by Chairman Devin Nunes of California, has been quietly working parallel to the committee’s high-profile inquiry into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. They haven’t informed Democrats about their plans, but they have consulted with the House’s general counsel. Continue reading “House Republicans quietly investigate perceived corruption at DOJ, FBI”