White House Orders Don McGahn to Ignore House Subpoena For Mueller Docs
Members of President Donald Trump‘s legal team have instructed former White House counsel Don McGahn to not cooperate with a congressional subpoena asking him for records pertaining to Robert Mueller‘s investigative report.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed to ABC on Tuesday that the administration is telling McGahn not to hand over White House records requested by the subpoena. The deadline for turning over the documents expires today, but the White House is instructing McGahn to hold since Trump might assert executive privilege and block their disclosure.
White House counsel Pat Cipollone has sent Congressman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) a letter confirming their directive to McGahn, and it also asks the House Judiciary Committee to send all record requests the White House
WH instructs Don McGahn to NOT turn over documents to House Judiciary. Here’s the letter from McGahn attorney. Live on @CNN next pic.twitter.com/Ceccitb8VW
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) May 7, 2019
“The White House provided these records to Mr. McGahn in connection with its cooperation with the special counsel’s investigation and with clear understanding that the records remain subject to the control of the White House for all purposes…The White House records remain legally protected from disclosure under longstanding constitutional principle, because they implicate significant executive branch confidentiality interests and executive privilege.”
Here’s how McGahn’s legal team is responding to this development:
McGahn lawyer: With executive and legislative branches making contradictory demands on the subpoenaed documents, "the appropriate response for Mr. McGahn is to maintain the status quo unless and until the Committee and the Executive Branch can reach an accommodation."
— NBC News (@NBCNews) May 7, 2019
McGahn has been a major figure of interest ever since Mueller’s report described how Trump once ordered him to fire the special counsel on Russia and then change his story about it. Much of this intrigue pertains to outstanding questions of whether Trump attempted to commit obstruction of justice.
[Photo via Getty Images]
