President Donald Trump plans to fight subpoenas issued by Democrats investigating him and his administration, framing them as politically motivated attacks aimed at winning his rivals the 2020 election.
Speaking Wednesday with reporters, Trump called a subpoena issued this week by the House Judiciary Committee to compel former White House counsel Don McGahn to testify “ridiculous.”
“We have been – I have been – the most transparent president and administration in the history of our country by far,” Trump said. “We’re fighting all the subpoenas. These aren’t, like, impartial people. The Democrats are trying to win 2020.”
Trump’s comments came one day after Carl Kline, a former White House personnel security director who was subpoenaed by Democrats, failed to appear for a scheduled deposition before the House Oversight Committee. The committee subpoenaed Kline after one of his former subordinates told the panel that dozens of people in Trump's administration were granted security clearances despite "disqualifying issues" in their backgrounds.
Administration officials also defied a demand Tuesday from the House Ways and Means Committee for six years’ worth of the president’s tax returns. In a letter to Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin asked for more time to comply with the request and said he’d give the panel a final decision by May 6.
Trump previously said he doesn't want former or current aides testifying in Congress, "where it's very partisan — obviously very partisan."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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