Last updated on March 10th, 2019 at 10:19 am
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Reps. Adam Schiff, Elijah Cummings, and Elliot Engel have used their power as committee chairs to demand all documents on Trump‘s communications with Putin.
House Democrats want all documents related to Trump’s conversations with Putin
The Chairmen wrote:
According to media reports, President Trump, on multiple occasions, appears to have taken steps to conceal the details of his communications with President Putin from other administration officials, Congress, and the American people. The President reportedly seized notes pertaining to at least one meeting held with President Putin and directed at least one American interpreter not to discuss the substance of communications with President Putin with other federal officials.
On February 21, 2019, we wrote a joint letter to the White House requesting basic information about whether the President in fact destroyed records relating to his conversations with President Putin—in violation of the Presidential Records Act—or if he did not, where those records are currently located. The White House failed to provide any response to our inquiry. As a result, we are now expanding our investigation.
These allegations, if true, raise profound national security, counterintelligence, and foreign policy concerns, especially in light of Russia’s ongoing active measures campaign to improperly influence American elections. In addition, such allegations, if true, undermine the proper functioning of government, most notably the Department’s access to critical information germane to its diplomatic mission and its ability to develop and execute foreign policy that advances our national interests. Finally, these allegations present serious concerns that materials pertaining to specific communications may have been manipulated or withheld from the official record in direct contravention of federal laws, which expressly require that Presidents and other administration officials preserve such materials.
Congress has a constitutional duty to conduct oversight over the Department and the White House to determine, among other things, the impact of those communications on U.S. foreign policy, whether federal officials, including President Trump, have acted in the national interest, and whether the applicable laws, regulations, and agency procedures with respect to diplomatic communications with President Putin and other foreign leaders have been complied with and remain sufficient.
Trump can’t keep his Putin chats secret any longer
Donald Trump has been trying to hide his conversations with Putin since the day that he took office. He has been able to get away with this because his Republican enablers in the House always turned a blind eye, but with Democrats in the House majority, everything has changed. Trump can’t hide his conversations any longer. Monday’s letter was a follow up to a previous document request. If the White House ignores, the current request, Democrats will begin to issue subpoenas.
The request from Schiff and Cummings comes on the same day, as Jerry Nadler’s House Judiciary ten ton mega bomb document request into every area of Trump’s life. The White House has been dreading this day since midterm election night. Democrats are here, in charge, and rocking Trump to his foundations.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
