The Trump administration has refused or delayed turning over documents in 30 investigations by 12 House committees, Democrats tell POLITICO.
President Donald Trump’s strategy on congressional investigations has amounted to a two-pronged strategy: dodge requests — and attack, attack, attack.
The White House launched a fire-breathing public relations response to House Democrats while the Trump administration has refused or delayed turning over documents in 30 investigations by a dozen different committees, according to House Democrats.The delays buy time for White House officials to weigh important legal decisions, including whether to invoke executive privilege claims or a policy that provides immunity for senior White House aides.
Trump White House allies, meanwhile, are in favor of a prolonged fight with Capitol Hill.
“They shouldn’t roll over,” said Scott Jennings, a public relations executive who is close to the Trump White House and was subpoenaed by the Senate when he worked for Republican George W. Bush. “This entire exercise is to paralyze the administration and grind it to a halt.”
Officials who refuse to comply could be held in contempt by the Democratic-controlled House and hauled into court, according to lawyers familiar with the process. But Congress has historically been very reluctant to take that path.
Already, the administration has failed to turn over requested documents covering a wide range of issues, from security clearances to Trump’s communications with Russian President Vladimir Putin to his policy of separating migrant children from their parents at the southern U.S. border.
