White House blocks McGahn from producing documents subpoenaed by House Judiciary Committee
From the article:
The White House is blocking former counsel Don McGahn from producing documents responding to the House Judiciary Committee’s subpoena last month.
Instead, direct requests for the materials must go to the White House, setting up an even more intense legal battle between the Trump administration and congressional Democrats.
White House Counsel Pat Cipollone penned a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., on Tuesday, notifying him that McGahn will not comply with the subpoena, which, according to the letter, seeks certain White House records given to McGahn that are related to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
“The White House provided these records to Mr. McGahn in connection with its cooperation with the Special Counsel’s investigation and with the clear understanding that the records remain subject to the control of the White House for all purposes,” Cipollone wrote. “The White House records remain legally protected from disclosure under longstanding constitutional principles, because they implicate significant Executive Branch confidentiality interests and executive privilege.”
He added: “Because Mr. McGahn does not have the legal right to disclose these documents to third parties, I would ask the Committee to direct any request for such records to the White House, the appropriate legal custodian.”
Simple: Ask the White Huse for the Documents. Let's see where that gets them.
this should have been over with the publication of the Mueller Report. The Democrats should go read the ((.*% unredacted report if they want to know so bab. the Republican members of the committee did.
The White House is blocking former counsel Don McGahn from producing documents responding to the House Judiciary Committee’s subpoena last month.
Instead, direct requests for the materials must go to the White House, setting up an even more intense legal battle between the Trump administration and congressional Democrats.
White House Counsel Pat Cipollone penned a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., on Tuesday, notifying him that McGahn will not comply with the subpoena, which, according to the letter, seeks certain White House records given to McGahn that are related to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
“The White House provided these records to Mr. McGahn in connection with its cooperation with the Special Counsel’s investigation and with the clear understanding that the records remain subject to the control of the White House for all purposes,” Cipollone wrote. “The White House records remain legally protected from disclosure under longstanding constitutional principles, because they implicate significant Executive Branch confidentiality interests and executive privilege.”
He added: “Because Mr. McGahn does not have the legal right to disclose these documents to third parties, I would ask the Committee to direct any request for such records to the White House, the appropriate legal custodian.”
Simple: Ask the White Huse for the Documents. Let's see where that gets them.
this should have been over with the publication of the Mueller Report. The Democrats should go read the ((.*% unredacted report if they want to know so bab. the Republican members of the committee did.
Trump felt that Mueller had conflicts of interest and was biased and was not the appropriate person to run the investigation. Given the background, connection to Comey and other players and the staff he hired, it certainly appears that Trump was right -- or had a credible argument.
He wanted McGhan to make that argument to Rosenstein.and he refused to do so acting as if he were Elliot Richardson heroically standing up to Richard Nixon.
The problem with this analysis is that Trump is not reported as having said to fire him -- just that he wanted him gone. McGhan was White House Council and had no authority to fire anyone. As Trump has said, if he wanted Mueller fired he could have done so -- presumably by ordering Rosenstein,to do so as acting Attorney General. Unlike McGhan, Rosenstein COULD legally fire Mueller.
Trump wanted to convince Rosenstein that Mueller was a bad choice. That's completely different from ordering him fired.
Also, when Nixon told Richardson to fire Cox, he did so in response to Cox subpoenaing the White House recordings of the oval office -- clearly to block access to evidence in the investigation. Trump had no such incentive -- he just thought he was the wrong guy.
And he was.
Thus President Trump could not have fired him.
All of that said, Mueller should never have been appointed and should lhave refused the appointment. *I guess he hates Trump as well)