House Democrats ready to move forward with contempt citations

WASHINGTON — House Democrats will move swiftly with oversight of the Trump administration this week, holding a hearing on the special counsel report and potential contempt of Congress charges against Attorney General William Barr and a former White House legal counsel.

The moves could precede the opening of an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump.

The House Judiciary Committee has scheduled a hearing Monday on special counsel Robert Mueller’s report. His investigation determined that there was no criminal conspiracy between Trump and Russians who interfered with the 2016 election, but it didn’t reach a conclusion on whether the president obstructed justice in the probe.

Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said he plans to subpoena Mueller, now retired, to testify before the committee in the future. Mueller is in talks with the committee, and Nadler said a subpoena could be issued within two weeks.

Nadler and Democratic leaders have chafed at the refusal of administration aides to comply with committee demands.

The White House instructed former aides, including former White House counsel Don McGahn, to ignore committee subpoenas to testify. Mueller is no longer an employee of the Justice Department and has signaled his willingness to testify, albeit in private.

Barr not only refused to testify before the Judiciary Committee but also refused to hand over an unredacted version of the Mueller report and other documents the investigation produced.

“While the White House continues to cover up and stonewall and to prevent the American people from knowing the truth, we will continue to move forward with our investigation,” Nadler said.

Watergate figure to testify

The Judiciary Committee hearing on the “lessons” of the Mueller report will include testimony by former White House counsel John Dean, who served under President Richard Nixon. Dean was involved in the Watergate burglaries and the subsequent cover-up that led to Nixon’s resignation.

Republicans scoffed at the Democrats’ witness. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., called Dean “a Watergate star.”

“Yet another openly desperate move to resuscitate a dead collusion conspiracy,” Meadows said on Twitter. “This is not serious.”

A vote by the full House could come as early as Tuesday on a contempt charge leveled against Barr, who flouted a Judiciary Committee subpoena for documents and the unredacted Mueller report.

The White House blocked McGahn from appearing before the committee on May 20.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said contempt votes in the House could be held for both men.

McGahn was an aide cited often in the Mueller report and testified before investigators that the president had ordered him to fire Mueller, an action that would have ended the probe. McGahn refused to carry out the order.

Mueller stated in the report that he had found 10 instances of interference or obstruction by the president in the investigation, but he cited Justice Department policy in deciding not to charge a sitting president.

He left that decision to Congress, which has constitutional authority to conduct oversight hearings into the president’s conduct and take appropriate action if deemed necessary.

Picking up where Mueller left off

“Russia attacked our elections to help President Trump win. Trump and his campaign welcomed this help, and the president tried to obstruct the investigation into the attack,” Nadler said. “Mueller confirmed these revelations and has now left Congress to pick up where he left off.”

Several news outlets have reported that Nadler is prepared to begin an impeachment inquiry following White House instructions to aides to ignore committee subpoenas.

Nadler also wants to subpoena Mueller to testify before his Judiciary Committee.

Even with pressure building on House Democrats to begin impeachment proceedings, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has been reluctant to move quickly with such a politically divisive action.

“We take it one step at a time,” she said at a news conference last week. “I’m not feeling any pressure.”

The House Democratic caucus is divided on impeachment. Nearly 60 members are clamoring for proceedings to begin, but more than two-thirds of Democratic lawmakers favor Pelosi’s approach to let the committee process play out.

More centrist Democrats, like Rep. Susie Lee, who represents Southern Nevada, have backed Pelosi and her methodical approach.

Titus looking at hotel

One of the many House investigations into Trump and his business dealings is being led by Rep. Dina Titus, a Las Vegas Democrat.

Her investigation centers on whether Trump is profiting from his presidency in violation of the Constitution with his ownership of the Trump International Hotel in Washington, which has become an entertainment and lodging stay for foreign dignitaries.

Titus has subpoenaed records on the lease agreement on the hotel from the General Services Administration, which oversees the Old Post Office federal property that houses the hotel.

She also backs Pelosi on allowing committees to investigate, which could lead to impeachment.

Titus said the president has lied “about the alarming conclusions in Robert Mueller’s report.”

“Congress must hold Donald Trump fully accountable, and bringing special counsel Mueller in to testify is an important step in that direction,” Titus said.

House Republicans have accused Democrats of launching multiple investigations into Trump for political gain as the 2020 election approaches. Only one Republican, Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., has called for Trump’s impeachment.

Rep. Mark Amodei, the lone Nevada Republican in the House, told the Review-Journal recently that he has paid little attention to the Mueller investigation and is focused on land use and other issues that have an impact on his Northern Nevada district.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Democrats “don’t care about the facts. Their plan has been to try to impeach President Trump all along.”

Pelosi has warned lawmakers that impeachment would not be a panacea and would not necessarily lead to his departure from office.

“It’s an indictment,” Pelosi said, adding that “it is the business of the committees to do that.”

An impeachment in the House would also likely die there without significant shifts in public opinion.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he has no plans to convene impeachment hearings in the Senate.

Contact Gary Martin at gmartin@reviewjournal.com or 202-662-7390. Follow @garymartindc on Twitter.