Judge Jackson denied the request from William Barr’s DOJ that her order for Don McGahn to testify be stayed while under appeal.
Here is the ruling:
NEW: Judge Jackson has denied @TheJusticeDept’s request to stay her order that former White House Counsel Don McGahn obey a Congressional subpoena while it is being appealed. pic.twitter.com/OKdy4hdEz7
— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) December 2, 2019
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Trump is trying to run out the clock on House Democrats. The president is hoping that he will win reelection, Republicans will take back the House and all of the investigations will go away. The ruling has bigger implications than McGahn.
Judge Jackson ruled that there is no such thing as absolute immunity and that witnesses can’t ignore congressional subpoenas, because Trump tells them to do so.
Any ruling that speeds up the process and gets witnesses closer to testifying is bad news and a serious defeat for Donald Trump and his administration.
McGahn could testify and invoke executive privilege, but the days of the Trump White House being able to ignore investigations are ending fast.
Congress is a co-equal branch of the government. Trump’s efforts to place the executive branch ahead of all others are being struck down in the courts one ruling at a time.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
