White House Orders Former Trump Aides to Defy House Subpoenas    September 17, 2019   

The White House has ordered two former Trump aides to defy subpoenas from House committees hoping to continue their impeachment push.

According to The Hill:

The White House has ordered two former aides to President Trump to defy their subpoenas to appear at a House Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday.

White House counsel Pat Cipollone said in a letter to the panel that the Justice Department recommended and Trump directed Rick Dearborn and Rob Porter to go against their subpoenas due to “constitutional immunity.”

The letter said the two were told not to go “because of the constitutional immunity that protects senior advisers to the president from compelled congressional testimony, and in order to protect the prerogatives of the Office of President.”

Democrats are legally objecting to the ability to declare “absolute immunity” in a suit against former White House counsel Don McGahn.

Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski is expected to testify but his testimony is likely to be limited due to executive privilege.