Donald Trump Jr. and GOP Sen. Richard Burr are locked in a subpoena stalemate
Contempt Round 2 might be around the corner. Only this time, it's Donald Trump Jr. who's proving a thorn in the side of Congress, and not Attorney General William Barr.
Trump Jr., who was subpoenaed last week by the Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee, might not comply with the order if he is asked about a 2016 meeting concerning a Trump Organization project in Moscow, CNN reports. His legal team argues that he already answered questions about the topic before three prior congressional committees. The two sides have reached a stalemate, though, because the committee will not agree to limit the number of topics brought up during the possible testimony.
Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), the chair of the Intelligence Committee, subpoenaed the president's son after he backed out of two voluntary interviews last year, which reportedly "rankled" Burr and led to their current stand-off, CNN reports. Trump Jr. might offer to supply the committee with written answers, but the committee has rejected those in the past.
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Now Burr is left with a choice between giving Trump Jr. a "pass" or pushing to hold him in contempt of Congress and risk facing more backlash from the Trump administration and the Republican party. If he takes the latter course, it looks like some prominent members of the GOP would disapprove. Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) has already advised Trump Jr. to ignore the subpoena. Read more at CNN. Tim O'Donnell
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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
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