Trump Directs Ex-White House Counsel McGahn To Defy Congressional Subpoena - White House

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st May, 2019) US President Donald Trump instructed former White House counsel Donald McGahn to defy a congressional subpoena and not attend Tuesday's scheduled hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in news release on Monday.

"The Department of Justice has provided a legal opinion stating that, based on long-standing, bipartisan, and Constitutional precedent, the former Counsel to the President cannot be forced to give such testimony, and Mr. McGahn has been directed to act accordingly," Sanders said in the release.�

The Justice Department (DOJ) explained that Congress may not constitutionally compel the president's senior advisers to testify about their official duties. This testimonial immunity is "rooted in the constitutional separation of powers and derives from the president's independence from Congress.

McGahn is scheduled to appear before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday to testify about Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into alleged Trump-Russian collusion and 2016 US presidential election interference.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said last week that he was prepared to have a vote on whether to hold McGahn in contempt of Congress should he not show up for its testimony.

Mueller's report, which was released in April, concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 election but said there was no evidence of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.

Moscow has repeatedly denied interfering in US politics and said Mueller's report provides zero evidence to support allegations of Russian election meddling.