Tag: contempt of Congress

Ex-Trump official’s refusal to testify escalates impeachment tensions

The Hill logoThe refusal of a key former White House official to testify Monday in the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry raises new questions about the pace and effectiveness of the investigation into allegations of wrongdoing swirling around President Trump.

Democrats were quick to argue that the decision by Charles Kupperman, who was a deputy to former national security adviser John Bolton, to defy a congressional subpoena will do nothing to slow down their hard-charging probe into Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. Just hours later, Democratic leaders announced they will vote Thursday on legislation outlining the next phases of the process, to consist of public hearings as they weigh whether to introduce articles of impeachment.

Yet Kupperman’s strategy to seek court authorization before participating in the probe could prove to be a model for future witnesses, both public and private, stirring new doubts about which Trump officials will appear on Capitol Hill as the proceedings evolve.

View the complete October 28 article by Olivia Beavers and Mike Lillis on The Hill  website here.

Congress and contempt: What you need to know

The House on Tuesday is poised to pass a resolution authorizing House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) to go to court to enforce congressional subpoenas for Attorney General William Barr and former White House counsel Don McGahn.

Democratic lawmakers have largely portrayed the vote as one that will hold Barr in civil contempt. But the resolution does not mention contempt, and it differs from past contempt resolutions that sought federal prosecution of officials who failed to comply with congressional subpoenas.

As lawmakers vote on the resolution, here is what you need to know.

View the complete June 11 article by Jacqueline Thomsen on The Hill website here.

House to hold Barr contempt vote over Mueller report next week

The House will vote next week to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress for declining to comply with a subpoena for special counsel Robert Mueller’s full report and related evidence.

The resolution will also target former White House counsel Don McGahn, who has defied a Democratic subpoena to appear before Congress.

The vote, scheduled for June 11, marks a major escalation of tensions between the Trump administration and House Democrats, who have launched a series of investigations into the president’s conduct in office — probes in which the White House has largely refused to cooperate.

View the complete June 3 article by Cristina Marcos, Scott Wong and Mike Lillis on The Hill website here.

 

House Democrats start contempt of Congress process against Barr

The House Judiciary scheduled a Wednesday markup for the 27-page contempt resolution

House Democrats plan to take the first step to holding Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress on Wednesday, in their push to get an unredacted version of the Mueller report and its underlying investigative material.

The House Judiciary Committee scheduled a markup of a 27-page contempt resolution that lays out the need for the full report from special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and the negotiations so far with Barr to get it.

Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said that Barr’s failure to comply with the congressional subpoena for the full report “leaves us no choice” but to initiate contempt proceedings — but he left the door open to canceling them as well.

View the complete May 6 article by Todd Ruger on The Roll Call website here.