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House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff of D-Calif., Said he and his colleagues could impose heavy fines on people like Attorney General William Barr if they refused to comply with the subpoenas to appear from Congress.
"We would impose fines on people who do not cooperate until they are obliged to produce what they are asked to produce," he said at a news conference. event on Friday.
Schiff discussed how Congress could impose compliance both in the absence of more concrete reforms and to prevent civil servants from going to court. He added that the fines could reach $ 25,000.
Schiff's comments come as President's son Donald Trump Jr. faces a subpoena from the Senate Intelligence Committee and possibly another from the Schiff Committee in the House. Congressional Democrats also summoned the White House lawyer's testimony, Don McGahn, to testify, as well as documents related to the investigation of special advocate Robert Mueller. .
"We are already thinking about the post-Watergate reforms that will have to be adopted when this horrific chapter is over, and we will no doubt think that it will be necessary to put in place a faster process to enforce the congressional summons," he said. said Schiff, Mike Allen, to Axios. .
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"But one thing we look at in the absence of this is whether we need to rekindle the contempt power inherent in Congress so that we have our own decision in Congress," he added before mentioning the fines.
When Allen asked Schiff to clarify where he intended to impose fines through his committee, Schiff said he was reviewing the options. "We are looking at history and studying law to make sure we are on solid ground," he said.
Schiff added that for it to be able to enforce a stricter law, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Should approve the decision.
"If there is to be this wall of stone at all levels, we will have to consider extraordinary solutions because, ultimately, it is not just this president," he said. declared. "Is the Congress a branch with equal powers and equal power?"
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His comments echoed those of the Speaker of the Judiciary of the House, Jerrold Nadler, DN.Y., who had declared a "constitutional crisis", the administration invoking the privilege of the executive to dispense with comply with Congressional summonses.
Nadler's committee had just voted to condemn Barr in contempt of Congress for defying any subpoena for Mueller's unredacted report. Trump criticized the Democratic efforts for crying over spilled milk, arguing that Mueller's report already settled the suspicions of obstruction and collusion.
On Thursday, Trump criticized his son's attempted subpoena as his legal team asked a federal judge to block another subpoena, a subpoena from the House Oversight Committee for his financial records.
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Nadler and Schiff both rejected the impeachment procedure in response to the stone wall of the administration. These two people, along with Pelosi, constituted reluctant leadership, defying other people, such as representatives Rashida Talib, D-Mich. And Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Who had pleaded for impeachment in the House.
Noting the impact of destitution on the nation, Schiff asked if it was appropriate to initiate a procedure "knowing that it would eventually fail".
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