Judge Throws Out Bolton Deputy’s Lawsuit Over House Subpoena, Declares Case Moot

National Security Advisor John Bolton answers journalists’ questions after his meeting with the president of Belarus in Minsk on August 29, 2019. (Photo credit: SERGEI GAPON/AFP via Getty Images)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon dismissed the lawsuit of former National Security Adviser John Bolton aide Charles Kupperman regarding the House Intelligence Committee’s now-retracted subpoena in the impeachment inquiry, declaring the case to be moot.

Leon asserted that the House is “extremely unlikely” to try to hold Kupperman in contempt, as the former official claimed it would, due to the fact that the House dropped its subpoena in early November and assured the judge that it would not compel Kupperman to testify.

“As such, there is simply no reasonable possibility that the House will exercise its inherent contempt power against Dr. Kupperman,” the judge wrote.

The case was meant to test the White House’s claim that its former officials had “absolute immunity” from House investigators’ subpoenas.

Read the filing below:

Latest News
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: