House Judiciary goes to work on the Donald
04 Mar '19 19:541 editPosted this in another thread, but on reflection it deserves its own:
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee unleashed a sprawling probe of President Trump's family, campaign, business and administration on Monday that includes more than 80 requests for documents.
The investigation under Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) will focus on three key areas: obstruction of justice, public corruption and abuses of power. Nadler rolled out the expansive investigation less than a week after the president’s former attorney Michael Cohen delivered explosive public testimony against him on Capitol Hill.
Democrats will be looking at those involved in the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between Trump campaign officials and a Russian lawyer linked to the Kremlin, the Trump Organization's plans to build a Trump property in Moscow and a scheme to pay off two women who alleged they had affairs with Trump before the 2016 election.
In a statement, Nadler accused Trump of evading “accountability for his near-daily attacks on our basic legal, ethical, and constitutional rules and norms.”
“Investigating these threats to the rule of law is an obligation of Congress and a core function of the House Judiciary Committee,” Nadler said. “We have seen the damage done to our democratic institutions in the two years that the Congress refused to conduct responsible oversight. Congress must provide a check on abuses of power.”
Trump blasted the investigation as a “hoax” but said he would comply with it, telling reporters at a White House event to congratulate a college football team's championship that “I cooperate all the time with everybody.”
The committee is demanding a trove of documents from the White House, including those related to the removal of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, the termination of former FBI Director James Comey and any conversations about the removal of special counsel Robert Mueller.
The committee is also asking for documents from a slew of current and former White House and administration officials, including Flynn, Trump son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, former White House communications director Hope Hicks and former White House counsel Don McGahn.
Nadler first announced that the committee would be issuing the document requests on Sunday, telling George Stephanopoulos on ABC News’s “This Week” that it is “very clear that the president obstructed justice” by firing Comey.
The White House said Monday that it has received the request and would respond at the “appropriate time.” It is unclear whether the White House will assert executive privilege to skirt some of the requests.
“The House Judiciary Committee’s letter has been received by the White House. The Counsel’s Office and relevant White House officials will review it and respond at the appropriate time,” press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.
The committee is also seeking documents from former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who worked for Trump’s campaign and later served in the administration. Sessions was fired by Trump, who never forgave the early supporter of his presidential campaign for recusing himself from the Russia investigation headed by Mueller the day after November’s midterm elections
They also want documents from Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization’s chief financial officer who emerged as a key person of interest during Cohen’s public testimony last week.
Cohen claimed before the House Oversight and Reform Committee that Weisselberg would be able to support his claims that the president knew about the hush money payments made to women claiming they’d had affairs with Trump, among other business deals.
They are also requesting information from the parent company of The National Enquirer, American Media Inc. (AMI), which was granted an immunity deal from federal prosecutors in Manhattan who are actively investigating the hush money payments, in exchange for its cooperation with the probe.
Several individuals who have been charged by or cooperated with Mueller are also receiving requests, including Flynn, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, longtime Trump ally Roger Stone and former Trump campaign aide Richard Gates.
A committee counsel told reporters Monday that the immediate goal of the requests is to put together “a very large treasure trove of evidence” that can be combed through to help guide the investigation and determine future witnesses.
The committee is giving the recipients two weeks to respond voluntarily to the document requests, and plans to take steps to subpoena them if the individuals do not comply.
“These are documents we plan to get one way or another,” the committee counsel said.
https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/432469-dems-unleash-sprawling-probe-of-trump-family-administration
The game is afoot ...........................................................
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee unleashed a sprawling probe of President Trump's family, campaign, business and administration on Monday that includes more than 80 requests for documents.
The investigation under Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) will focus on three key areas: obstruction of justice, public corruption and abuses of power. Nadler rolled out the expansive investigation less than a week after the president’s former attorney Michael Cohen delivered explosive public testimony against him on Capitol Hill.
Democrats will be looking at those involved in the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between Trump campaign officials and a Russian lawyer linked to the Kremlin, the Trump Organization's plans to build a Trump property in Moscow and a scheme to pay off two women who alleged they had affairs with Trump before the 2016 election.
In a statement, Nadler accused Trump of evading “accountability for his near-daily attacks on our basic legal, ethical, and constitutional rules and norms.”
“Investigating these threats to the rule of law is an obligation of Congress and a core function of the House Judiciary Committee,” Nadler said. “We have seen the damage done to our democratic institutions in the two years that the Congress refused to conduct responsible oversight. Congress must provide a check on abuses of power.”
Trump blasted the investigation as a “hoax” but said he would comply with it, telling reporters at a White House event to congratulate a college football team's championship that “I cooperate all the time with everybody.”
The committee is demanding a trove of documents from the White House, including those related to the removal of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, the termination of former FBI Director James Comey and any conversations about the removal of special counsel Robert Mueller.
The committee is also asking for documents from a slew of current and former White House and administration officials, including Flynn, Trump son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, former White House communications director Hope Hicks and former White House counsel Don McGahn.
Nadler first announced that the committee would be issuing the document requests on Sunday, telling George Stephanopoulos on ABC News’s “This Week” that it is “very clear that the president obstructed justice” by firing Comey.
The White House said Monday that it has received the request and would respond at the “appropriate time.” It is unclear whether the White House will assert executive privilege to skirt some of the requests.
“The House Judiciary Committee’s letter has been received by the White House. The Counsel’s Office and relevant White House officials will review it and respond at the appropriate time,” press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.
The committee is also seeking documents from former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who worked for Trump’s campaign and later served in the administration. Sessions was fired by Trump, who never forgave the early supporter of his presidential campaign for recusing himself from the Russia investigation headed by Mueller the day after November’s midterm elections
They also want documents from Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization’s chief financial officer who emerged as a key person of interest during Cohen’s public testimony last week.
Cohen claimed before the House Oversight and Reform Committee that Weisselberg would be able to support his claims that the president knew about the hush money payments made to women claiming they’d had affairs with Trump, among other business deals.
They are also requesting information from the parent company of The National Enquirer, American Media Inc. (AMI), which was granted an immunity deal from federal prosecutors in Manhattan who are actively investigating the hush money payments, in exchange for its cooperation with the probe.
Several individuals who have been charged by or cooperated with Mueller are also receiving requests, including Flynn, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, longtime Trump ally Roger Stone and former Trump campaign aide Richard Gates.
A committee counsel told reporters Monday that the immediate goal of the requests is to put together “a very large treasure trove of evidence” that can be combed through to help guide the investigation and determine future witnesses.
The committee is giving the recipients two weeks to respond voluntarily to the document requests, and plans to take steps to subpoena them if the individuals do not comply.
“These are documents we plan to get one way or another,” the committee counsel said.
https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/432469-dems-unleash-sprawling-probe-of-trump-family-administration
The game is afoot ...........................................................
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