Latest in congressional oversight
On Nov. 15, Donald J. Trump applied to the Supreme Court for a stay of the House Oversight Committee subpoena of his tax returns. The application for a stay as well as a response from Congress and a reply from Trump are attached below.
In the aftermath of the successful operation against Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the fact that the Trump administration gave advance notice to the Russian government and possibly also to some Republican lawmakers—but not to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff or other Democratic lawmakers—is attracting criticism. Is the criticism warranted? Not from a legal perspective. But it’s complicated from there.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rejected President Trump’s appeal to block the release of his tax returns to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. The court’s decision affirmed that the Committee has the authority to subpoena the financial documents of the president and that Trump’s accounting firm, Mazars USA, must comply by submitting the requested information. The court opinion can be found here and below.
The Justice Department filed an objection to the House Judiciary Committee’s recent response to the U.S.
On August 7, the House Judiciary Committee filed a civil complaint with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to enforce the committee’s subpoena for former White House counsel Don McGahn’s testimony. The complaint argues that McGahn’s refusal to testify impedes the committee’s ability to determine whether to approve articles of impeachment, pass remedial legislation and conduct oversight of the Department of Justice. The document is available here and below.
On August 6, the Justice Department filed an amicus brief in Trump v. Mazars, President Trump’s suit challenging a subpoena by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform for the release of Trump’s financial information. The case is currently before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit; oral arguments took place on July 12. The complete document is available here and below.
On July 29, the House Oversight and Reform Committee released a report on the influence wielded by private individuals with connections to President Trump over the administration’s push to transfer U.S. nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia, which it pursued without a bilateral agreement under Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act. This report builds on the committee’s report of February 19, 2019, and is based on documents the committee obtained from several outside companies.
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform has filed its brief before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in Trump v.
The Department of Justice has informed the House Oversight and Reform Committee that President Trump has exerted executive privilege over certain documents subpoenaed by the committee regarding the administration's decision to include a question about U.S. citizenship in the 2020 census. The letter can be read here and below.
The legal team on behalf of President Trump and the Trump Organization has filed a brief in the case of Trump v. Mazars USA, in which Trump, in his personal capacity, is seeking to block a subpoena of his accounting firm by the House Oversight and Reform Committee. The district court ruled against Trump last month and oral arguments in the U.S.