Trump's Former White House Counsel May Have To Testify To Congress
Just when you might have thought the impeachment testimonies were slowing down, the stakes got even higher. On Monday, Nov. 25, a federal judge ruled that a former White House counsel must obey a subpoena issued by the House Judiciary Committee. So, will Don McGahn testify to Congress? The drama continues.
Federal District Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson ruled on Nov. 25 that former White House counsel Don McGahn must obey a subpoena from the House Judiciary Committee to testify to Congress. Jackson also ruled that McGahn will have the right to "invoke executive privilege where appropriate" during his testimony, per NBC News. "It is clear to this Court for the reasons explained above that, with respect to senior-level presidential aides, absolute immunity from compelled congressional process simply does not exist," Jackson said in her ruling. "Presidents are not kings." Elite Daily reached out to McGahn for comment on the ruling, but did not hear back in time for publication.
McGahn served as White House counsel for nearly two years under the Trump administration. According to The New York Times, McGahn helped appoint a number of conservative judges, and had a key hand in Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court in 2018. McGahn left his role as White House counsel in October 2018.
McGahn is reportedly pushing back on the judge's ruling. CNN reported on Tuesday, Nov. 26 that McGahn appealed Jackson's ruling, and asked the judge if his testimony could be postponed until the appeal is finished. There's been no word whether Jackson will agree to McGahn's terms, but the House Judiciary Committee has granted a seven-day delay to the testimony as McGahn's case heads to the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. McGahn did not immediately respond to Elite Daily's request for comment on the appeal.
The future of McGahn's testimony, and the appeal, are unknown for now. On Nov. 26, Trump took to Twitter to address Jackson's ruling about the subpoena, and claimed even though he wants officials such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, United States Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, and Director of the Office of Management and Budget Mick Mulvaney to testify, Trump is "fighting for future presidents." Trump wrote in a three-tweet thread,
... I would love to have Mike Pompeo, Rick Perry, Mick Mulvaney and many others testify about the phony Impeachment Hoax. It is a Democrat Scam that is going nowhere but, future Presidents should in no way be compromised. What has happened to me should never happen to another President!
As of Nov. 26, no details have been announced on whether McGahn's testimony will be public, but I have a feeling that Twitter will be eagerly waiting to find out.
