FILE PHOTO: House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) listens as Acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker testifies before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on oversight of the Justice Department on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., Feb..8, 2019. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo
House Judiciary Committee Democrats have called acting DHS Secretary McAleenan to testify about being offered a pardon by Trump in exchange for breaking immigration laws.
In a new letter, they demand that McAleenan make himself available to the committee for questioning about this matter. And they’re also looking into reports that Trump also pressured his former DHS secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen, to close the border in violation of the law. Her refusal to do so was one reason that Trump ousted her.
Democrats request the following information:
1. A list identifying all Department employees present for your meeting with President Trump in Calexico, California on or around April 5, 2019…
2. A list identifying all Department employees present for President Trump’s April 5, 2019 meeting with border patrol agents, including but not limited to any DHS personnel instructed by President Trump to not let migrants into the country.
3. Documents and communications relating to Secretary Nielsen’s meeting with President Trump on or about March 21, 2019 to discuss reinstating the zero-tolerance policy and closing the U.S. Mexico border at El Paso, Texas.
The letter also demands that any of these others who might have witnessed these conversations should be prepared to testify as well.
Democrats see a pattern of Trump using pardons or offers of pardons as a way to get around the law. The behavior goes beyond immigration. Trump has consistently floated pardons in the Russia scandal and other scandals to buy the silence or cooperation of others. In the case of the border, the president told border patrol agents to violate the law and then lie to a judge.
The White House claims that Trump is joking, but this president has a consistent habit of “joking” about letting people off the hook who commit crimes for him.
Democrats are investigating what’s really going on because abuse of pardon power to encourage or cover up crimes is an impeachable offense.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow Jason Easley on Facebook
Trump got House Republicans to not use reconciliation to cut Social Security. The problem is…
President-elect Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson have agreed to a deal that would fund the…
Donald Trump demanded that the debt limit be raised as part of the government funding…
Donald Trump and JD Vance are blaming President Biden for the havoc caused by Elon…
The first little bit of pressure involving passing a bill to keep the government open…
X boss Elon Musk is throwing a tantrum on his social media platform as House…
This website uses cookies.
