White House tells Dems it won't hand over Kushner security clearance docs

[brooklynite]

Source: Politico

The top White House lawyer on Tuesday said the Trump administration will refuse to provide Congress with information about senior adviser Jared Kushner’s security clearance, slamming House Democrats for “overly intrusive document requests.”

White House Counsel Pat Cipollone said the administration would brief the House Oversight Committee about the White House’s process for granting security clearances, but he balked at the committee’s demand for information specific to Kushner, setting up a potential subpoena fight between the powerful House panel and the White House.

“These actions suggest that the Committee is not interested in proper oversight, but rather seeks information that it knows cannot be provided consistent with applicable law,” Cipollone wrote in a letter to Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings. “We will not concede the Executive's constitutional prerogatives or allow the Committee to jeopardize the individual privacy rights of current and former Executive Branch employees.”

Cummings (D-Md.) has accused the White House of stonewalling their demand for information, and last week Cummings expanded the committee’s investigation into the clearance process after The New York Times reported that President Donald Trump ordered his former chief of staff to grant Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, a full security clearance despite reservations from intelligence officials.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2019/03/05/jared-kushner-security-clearance-1204984

[CDerekGo]

1. If White House thinks...

This is all going to magically disappear, I see Supreme Court Ruling in near future. White House seems to think they 'above the law'.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

6. Partly they are just trying to delay it past Nov 2020. . . . nt

[rurallib]

15. one way or another it will be a campaign issue

[olegramps]

24. You well may be right. But, will that matter if people have had enough of Trump?

There is going to be a block of voters for Trump regardless of what he might be guilty of. The key is and has been in today's elections is the independent voters. If indeed there is such an animal. I do believe that most independents lean to the Democrats and these are the people that you have to convince to get to the polls along with increasingly importance of Black voters. I really hate identify any voter by some group and only wish to address all Americans as fellow citizens.

[Larrybanal]

8. they are

they have a packed supreme court so good chance that is what trump wants...until they rule against him a couple times he will do what he wants

[Jakes Progress]

22. Just who is going to make them behave?

An SC ruling doesn't worry trump with his packed court. Senate republicans will just stall and defend. This administration is headed by a mob boss that doesn't follow the law are rules. It owns 55% of the SC, a majority of the Senate, and a gerrymandered base in the House. It is appointing judges and staffing administration positions with stooges at a breathtaking rate.

They are not worried about disobeying law. And no one is going to hold them accountable.

[Iliyah]

2. Knowing the WH as I do,

magically those documents may appear by some unknown source.

[padah513]

3. I think you're right

This administration is notorious for its leakage problems. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they show up in time for the Friday news dump.

[MyOwnPeace]

4. I see this..........

as the first of MANY fights that are going to take places in courts all over the country, ultimately ending with the Supremes.

[BigmanPigman]

5. The Dems are going to have to subpoena everyone.

Expect this delay tactic for two more years.

[babylonsister]

7. Yeabbut, who thinks they'll honor subpoenas? nt

[cstanleytech]

9. I just hope they do not let Trump and those in his administration escape once they are out office

like what happened with Bush.
Personally I think it sets a bad standard to keep letting people like Bush, Nixon and Reagan to escape off the hook once they are out office.

[McKim]

13. Yes!!! No More "Moving Forward"

Yes!!! Republicans got away with the wars and torture because we were “moving forward”. There were no consequences for illegal behaviors. Then they grew bolder and bolder and look where we are today!!!!

[crazytown]

33. !!!!!

Biden October 2, 2008 Deerfield Florida - lies.

[COLGATE4]

10. Nasty letter to follow

Cipollone is telling Cummings to politely "go fuck yourself". Let's see what Cummings is made of.

[Firestorm49]

11. Same question. Different day. Why? Why? Why? Are they a bit paranoid?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

12. Chairman Cummings Issues Statement on White House Refusal to Produce Documents and Witnesses

Elijah E. Cummings Retweeted

NEWS ALERT: Chairman @RepCummings issues statement on the #WhiteHouse refusal to produce documents and witnesses on security clearance abuses. Read his full statement here:

Link to tweet

Chairman Cummings Issues Statement on White House Refusal to Produce Documents and Witnesses on Security Clearance Abuses
Mar 5, 2019 Press Release

Washington, D.C. (Mar. 5, 2019)—Last night, the White House responded to the Committee’s request for information regarding security clearance abuses by again refusing to produce any of the requested documents or witnesses. Instead, the White House sent yet another letter challenging Congress’ authority to conduct oversight of this area, while offering access to broad policy documents and a briefing on general procedures. Chairman Cummings issued the following statement relating to the White House’s latest response:

“The White House appears to be arguing that Congress has no authority to examine decisions by the Executive Branch that impact our national security—even when the President’s former National Security Advisor has pleaded guilty to lying about his contacts with foreign government officials. There is a key difference between a president who exercises his authority under the Constitution and a president who overrules career experts and his top advisors to benefit his family members and then conceals his actions from the American people. The White House’s argument defies the Constitutional separation of powers, decades of precedent before this Committee, and just plain common-sense. The White House security clearance system is broken, and it needs both congressional oversight and legislative reform. I will be consulting with Members of the Committee to determine our next steps.”

{snip}

[2naSalit]

14. Total crock of poo.

there is no refusing the oversight of the WH. And since jared has taken a position in the WH that automatically means he has committed to public service which also means that he must relinquish any and all documents requested or subpoenaed by Congress, period. Public service, obviously they have no clue as to what that means or entails.

[LiberalLovinLug]

19. On a side note, who else is shaken and creeped out that so many unauthorized and compromised

appointees, and of course the big orange dotard himself, has been informed of the countries most sensitive secrets? Secrets you'd be literally killed for if they told you. Secrets you cannot unknow once you know them. And that even in our most optimistic projections, and they are all kicked out, long AFTER all of that dust settles, he and his family and his criminal cronies will have a lot of top secret information they will take with them to use as they please. Sure they won't have any new information, but there is probably a hell of a lot of very sensitive and dangerous information that has been gathered for decades and decades before Trump came along, and will still be "useful" to know and leverage.

[BlueIdaho]

16. See you in court, assholes. nt.

[jalan48]

17. Executive Privilege. How will the SCOTUS rule?

[FBaggins]

18. I don't think that's it

I think they're arguing that security clearances are exclusively an executive function and do not derive from legislation... and thus there is no oversight power for Congress in this case.

I believe that's an unresolved issue... so perhaps we'll get to resolve it.

[jalan48]

20. Interesting. Are function and privilege different?

[ffr]

21. Subpoena. They'll produce. They're just stalling.

It's an old Rusky tactic.

[NewJeffCT]

23. it's not just Kushner

there were as many as 30 people for whom the process was overridden, from what I read.

[stuffmatters]

28. I wondered how John Bolton got security clearance despite Russia earnings & honors

[NoMoreRepugs]

25. IMO, SCOTUS wont automatically rule in tRUMPYS favor on many of the disputes needing

adjudication going forward and establish precedent where a Democratic POTUS would then be able to do the same thing if he/she so chose.

[keithbvadu2]

26. To the Trump clan, it's just a business license to sell secrets.

To the Trump clan, it's just a business license to sell secrets.

[Ferrets are Cool]

27. The King has spoken.

[Me.]

29. That's Because There Were/Are None

[HootieMcBoob]

30. Well

Saw that coming a mile away. Good thing they have subpoena power!

[Honeycombe8]

31. And....here we go. We're off to the races. Must be something good in those docs.

They're saying, "Oh, yeah? Come n' get 'em."

[japple]

32. And you know the order has been given by his assholiness to everyone on the whole

staff that they should spend the next week looking for dirt on Obama. Look over there...nothing to see here.