All four of the White House officials who are scheduled to appear before House investigators on Monday do not plan to show up to testify, CNN and Politico Playbook reported.
It’s been previously reported that Robert Blair, a top adviser to acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, and Brian McCormack, a top official at the Office of Management and Budget, don’t plan to appear on Monday. A source with knowledge of the situation told CNN that National Security Council lawyers Michael Ellis and John Eisenberg won’t appear on Monday either. As administration have testified over the past month, Eisenberg’s role in the decision to lock the Ukraine call in a top-secret vault has become increasing clear.
Eisenberg is reportedly a no-show due to executive privilege, an administration official told CNN. That same official said Blair, McCormack and Ellis won’t appear because they won’t be able to have an administration lawyer at the hearing.
In addition to Monday’s no-shows, Energy Secretary Rick Perry doesn’t intend to show up to his deposition on Wednesday and two other Office of Management and Budget officials — Michael Duffey and Russell Vought — scheduled to appear later this week won’t show up either.
Making a mockery of the system.
One thing that you would think even radically MAGA Republicans would object to is the degree to which Mr. Trump is diminishing the prerogatives of the Congress. People are now almost routinely ignoring Congressional subpoenas and requests for testimony. Given the seemingly unlimited power of the DOJ to decide upon matters such as Executive Privilege and oversight, you could argue that a single department of the Executive Branch is becoming more powerful than the entire Congress.
It’s fine with me if they don’t show up, as long as I never hear the phrase “rule of law” come out of their mouths or as long as no one in the media allows them to hide under some veil of credibility.
No executive privilege holds if the executive is committing a crime, corruption or any other malfeasance!
If not subpoenaed yet, then chop chop - issue the subpoenas. If already issued, add them to Obstruction of Congress…and FFS, fine them for everyday of delay in compliance - 50k per day or 1% of income, whichever is higher!
Just one more reason that the whole GOP needs to be burnt to the ground in 2020.