A guide for 20 investigations Trump and his allies struggle to obstruct



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1. Tax returns

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin blocks Congress' request for Trump's tax returns, a request based on a 1924 anti-corruption law. Friday, Richard E. Neal (D-Mass.), Chair of the Committee Ways and Means of the House, summoned to appear Mnuchin and Charles Rettig, the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service. Democrats say they are ready to go to court if necessary.

2. The Mueller Report

The White House affirmed the executive's privilege over the full report released Wednesday by special advocate Robert S. Mueller III after the Democrats had attempted to assign the underlying evidence to their investigating the fact that Trump prevented justice. Democrats are preparing to condemn Attorney General William P. Barr in contempt of Congress for refusing to honor their subpoena.

3. McGahn's testimony

The White House has asked former White House lawyer, Donald McGahn, to ignore a subpoena to appear before the House Judiciary Committee for documents related to the investigation into the case. Mueller case. McGahn was a central witness in several of the 10 cases of potential obstruction identified by Mueller. He could also be found guilty of contempt of Congress if he refuses to appear later this month.

4. Mazars

Trump Organization's personal lawyers and lawyers are suing the House's oversight committee and its accounting firm, Mazars, to cancel a subpoena for its financial information. The lawsuit quotes a precedent from the 1880s that has been overthrown and dormant for nearly 100 years. A judge recently agreed to speed up the proceedings and could make his decision as early as Tuesday.

5. Deutsche Bank and Capital One

Trump's personal lawyers and Trump Organization lawyers sue his former lender and bank for similar financial documents related to Congressional investigation into money laundering in Russia and interference politics in the 2016 elections.

6. Trump-Putin Meetings

The Trump administration refused to respond to requests for documents and communications regarding private talks between Trump and President Vladimir Putin. The Washington Post reported that Trump had tried to conceal the content of a discussion by taking notes from his own interpreter and asking a present linguist not to discuss what had happened.

7. emoluments

Trump defends himself in two lawsuits that claim his company is violating the Constitution by doing business with foreign governments. Justice Department lawyers representing the President have succeeded in temporarily blocking the subpoenas of DC and Maryland's Attorneys General for financial records and other documents related to the Trump's Washington DC Hotel A second lawsuit has been filed by 200 congressional Democrats.

8. Trump International Hotel

The Trump administration has been late in providing information on the Trump International Hotel's lease in Washington, DC, which rents the former, formerly owned, federal office building of the Old Post Office. The Democrats say that they only received what they called a "partial" response for the documents as part of the investigation conducted by the Transport and Infrastructure and Surveillance Committees.

9. FBI building

Five House committees have called for documents involving a decision to halt the relocation of the FBI headquarters in suburban Washington. The Democrats believe that Trump was involved in the decision to prevent the building – located opposite the Trump International Hotel – from being replaced by a hotel capable of competing with one another. None of the agencies to which they requested information received a response.

10. Hidden payments

The House Oversight Committee sent letters in January and February asking for additional information on payments made by former personal attorney Michael Cohen to an adult film actress who claimed to have an affair with Trump. The White House has allowed the committee to review certain documents in person, but Democrats continue to demand complete records.

11. Security Clearances

The White House refused to answer most of the questions asked by the House Oversight Committee and the document requirements related to its security clearance process. Trump relied on the then Chief of Staff, John F. Kelly, to grant his son-in-law Jared Kushner a security clearance despite fears of intelligence officials. Kushner was among more than 20 people whose security clearances were approved despite objections raised by national security officials, according to Tricia Newbold, a staff employee.

12. Family Separation Policy

The administration has not fully responded to requests for documents or testimony from several committees on a policy separating migrant children from their parents. The Department of Health and Social Services has partially responded to requests from the Energy and Trade Committee for documents and communications related to the policy. Other committees, including judicial, national and oversight committees, say that they are still waiting for answers.

13. Other issues of immigration

The administration has not responded to inquiries regarding a bus proposal from migrant children to sanctuary towns, nor to the reasons for a disruption of power at the Department of Homeland Security . On this last point, the House Homeland Security Committee is waiting for a response before a DHS budget hearing on May 22. The House Oversight Committee is also investigating the problem.

14. Statement of national emergency

The White House has ignored judicial inquiries on the legal basis of Trump 's emergency declaration to build a wall or fence on the southern border. Trump declared the state of emergency at the border after a 35-day shutdown that did not result in an accord giving him billions of dollars for the wall project, which he had promised repeatedly to be paid by Mexico.

15. Repeal of Obamacare

The Trump administration declined to discuss the process by which it decided to challenge the Affordable Care Act in court, sending the committees to claim the information only a confirmation confirming that they had received their letters.

16. Puerto Rico

The House Oversight Committee resumed Monday an investigation into the federal government's response to Hurricane Maria by sending letters to the White House, Health and Social Services and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The committee is requesting all documents by May 20. By the fall of 2017, the committee had commissioned these documents from DHS and FEMA. Democrats say that they have not received any answers.

17. census

Barr prevented Justice Department official John Gore from appearing for his testimony about the addition of a question on citizenship in the 2020 census, an idea that would have begun the White House. Democrats called the issue illegal and said it aimed to reduce the number of undocumented immigrants enumerated in the census.

18. Saudi nuclear transfer

The White House refused to answer questions from the Oversight Committee or requests for documentation of a proposal for a highly sensitive nuclear technology transfer to the United States in Saudi Arabia.

19. Use of private messaging by the White House

The monitoring committee has asked for more information about allegations that White House officials have been working on private e-mails, including Trump's daughter and Trump adviser Ivanka Trump. The White House said it feels it has solved the problem, but Democrats insist on getting more documents.

20. Saudi trip Kushner

The House Foreign Affairs Committee requested documents and information regarding a trip to Saudi Arabia by Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor, to Saudi Arabia, where he reportedly met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. According to the committee, which asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to inform the panel of the purpose of the visit, diplomats from the US Embassy were left out of meetings.

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