Don McGahn must testify about time as White House lawyer, judge rules
Don McGahn must testify to Congress about his time as the White House’s top lawyer, a federal judge ruled Monday — a decision that will put pressure on other reluctant Trump administration witnesses to testify about President Donald Trump’s actions.
In a ruling that could reshape the balance of power between Congress and the executive branch, U.S. District Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson ruled that McGahn, who spent 30 hours talking to former special counsel Robert Mueller’s team, can’t hide behind Trump’s claim that he is “absolutely immune” from speaking to the House Judiciary Committee.
“I am pleased the court has recognized that the Trump Administration has no grounds to withhold critical witness testimony from the House during its impeachment inquiry,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), the Judiciary Committee chairman.
Justice Department lawyers had argued that “absolute immunity,” a designation reserved for a select few members of the president’s inner circle, is essential to protecting the president’s ability to seek candid advice from his top advisers. They also insisted the federal courts had no role trying to get between a dispute between the other two branches of government. [Continue reading…]