House Judiciary Chair Nadler says Congress will not allow Trump to block subpoenas after McGahn's no-show
The subpoena wars continue.
House Democrats on Tuesday gathered to to hear testimony concerning Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into 2016 Russian election interference. But, for the second time this month, the witness did not show up. Former White House Counsel Don McGahn followed in the footsteps of Attorney General William Barr, who refused to appear before the House Judiciary Committee earlier in May.
McGahn was directly instructed by the White House to defy a subpoena for his appearance, based on a Justice Department opinion that his former role in the White House means he cannot be compelled to testify about his official duties.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
House Judiciary Chair Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) feels quite differently, however. He made that clear as the hearing, which went on — albeit briefly — even without McGahn. Nadler did acknowledge that McGahn did not "blindly" participate in unethical behavior during Mueller's investigation, but that doesn't mean he's off the hook when it comes to testimony. The congressman tossed aside the White House's stance on McGahn's obligation, arguing that he must show up, and that the Trump administration must cease its meddling in such cases altogether.
Ultimately the debate over whether McGahn must testify will be decided by the courts, Fox News' senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano said on Tuesday.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Political cartoons for November 2Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include the 22nd amendment, homeless camps, and more
-
The dazzling coral gardens of Raja AmpatThe Week Recommends Region of Indonesia is home to perhaps the planet’s most photogenic archipelago.
-
‘Never more precarious’: the UN turns 80The Explainer It’s an unhappy birthday for the United Nations, which enters its ninth decade in crisis
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
