WH plans to fight House subpoena of former counsel Donald McGahn for testimony on Mueller report

[MelissaB]

White House plans to fight House subpoena of former counsel Donald McGahn for testimony on Mueller report

The White House plans to fight a subpoena issued by the House Judiciary Committee for former White House counsel Donald McGahn to testify, according to people familiar with the matter, setting up another showdown in the aftermath of the special counsel report.

The Trump administration also plans to oppose other requests from House committees for the testimony of current and former aides about actions in the White House described in special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s report, according to two people familiar with internal thinking.

White House lawyers plan to tell attorneys for administration witnesses called by the House that they will be asserting executive privilege over their testimony, officials said.

Such a move will intensify an ongoing power struggle between the Trump administration and congressional Democrats, potentially setting up a protracted court battle.

More: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/white-house-plans-to-fight-house-subpoena-of-former-counsel-donald-mcgahn-for-testimony-on-mueller-report/2019/04/23/2d48732a-65f1-11e9-83df-04f4d124151f_story.html?utm_term=.e5095d8a69a8

Link to tweet

[NewJeffCT]

1. WTF?

he's a former White House counsel who already testified to Mueller.

[kentuck]

2. I guess they want the impeachment proceedings to begin?

It is my understanding that all documents requested must be handed over to an impeachment inquiry?

Is that not correct?

Of course, the WH will fight it all the way. Time for the Democrats to step up and play hard ball.

[orangecrush]

5. If they hold back much longer

on beginning impeachment hearings, we will be totally fucked.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. Can they even do that? McGahn doesn't work for them any more.

He's a private citizen. And he's already been interviewed extensively by Mueller; apparently the WH didn't invoke executive privilege then, so haven't they waived it?

[DeminPennswoods]

4. WH already waived executive privilege when they allowed

McGahn to meet with Mueller.

[Glimmer of Hope]

8. That makes sense.

Last edited Tue Apr 23, 2019, 09:07 PM - Edit history (1)

Edit to add that Rachel is covering this now. You were right!

[MelissaB]

6. Another snip

People close to McGahn, who were not authorized to speak publicly, said McGahn is “following the process” and working with the White House on his next steps, despite Trump’s public and private anger about his former White House counsel’s prominence in the Mueller report.

“He’s not eager to testify. He’s not reluctant. He got a subpoena. It compels him to testify. But there are some countervailing legal reasons that might prevent that,” said one person close to McGahn, who requested anonymity to describe private discussions. “He doesn’t want to be in contempt of Congress nor does he want to be in contempt of his ethical obligations and legal obligations as a former White House official.”

Trump has told advisers that McGahn was disloyal to him and he criticized the lawyer for taking extensive notes of meetings that were cited in Mueller’s report. While initially seeing the report as a total exoneration, Trump has grown frustrated with the depiction of his White House.

[maxsolomon]

11. McGahn was never "Trump's Lawyer".

He was the lawyer for the Office of the President.

[DeminPennswoods]

16. And any conversations between the WH counsel and the president

are not covered by atty-client privilege because of it.

[Andy823]

7. Only someone guilty as hell

Would pull this shit. If he did nothing wrong what would he be afraid of?

[Blue_true]

9. You asked the central question.

I would guess that a totally innocent person would bend over backward to have people testify about how innocent he was.

[Andy823]

10. Yes, his actions and threats

prove he is not an innocent person. I just hope this comes back and bites him in the ass big time.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

12. Ha, I was right! On TRMS she's talking about how Trump waived

any executive privilege claim when he let McGahn talk to Mueller, so now they can't prevent him from talking to the House committee.

[oasis]

13. Rachel Maddow is on it. She says WH privilege claim can't stand

because Trump okayed McGhan's testimony back in 2017.

Leads off tonight's show with McGahn debacle. Rachel makes plenty sense.

[StarfishSaver]

14. McGahns a private citizen so this should be interesting!

[spanone]

15. This shit is unbelievable. An administration that will answer to no one.