House Democrats Vote To Ask Federal Court To Enforce Subpoenas For William Barr & Don McGahn

A vote by House Democrats on whether or not to enforce subpoenas against former White House counsel Don McGahn and Attorney General William Barr could lead to a federal court dispute.

The Justice Department and congressional Democrats reached a deal this week to gain access to evidence from the Russia investigation. Both Barr and McGahn have ignored requests from Congress to testify on the probe and former Special Counsel Robert Mueller‘s unredacted report. Lawmakers have sought various tactics to punish the pair of officials, from fines to holding them in contempt.

The latest resolution would permit the House Judiciary Committee to enforce the subpoenas in federal court if McGahn and Barr continue to refuse to cooperate. The White House ordered the pair of officials not to comply with Congress.

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House Democrats are now primarily attempting to determine whether or not Trump committed obstruction of justice.

“If the department proceeds in good faith and we are able to obtain everything that we need, then there will be no need to take further steps,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-New York) said Monday. “If important information is held back, then we will have no choice but to enforce our subpoena in court and consider other remedies.”

John Dean, who served as former President Richard Nixon’s White House counsel, has already compared President Donald Trump‘s behavior during the Russia probe to the Watergate scandal.