Washington: The House of Representatives’ top lawyer told a federal appeals court Monday that the House is investigating whether President Donald Trump lied to special counsel Robert Mueller, and the attorney urged the judges to order the release of still-secret material from the investigation.
Two of the three judges who heard arguments at the Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit — Judith Rogers, a Bill Clinton appointee, and Thomas Griffith, an appointee of George W Bush — seemed prepared to order at least some of the material sought by the House to be turned over.
House General Counsel Douglas Letter told the judges that the need for the still-secret material redacted from the Mueller report is ‘immense’ because it will help House members answer the question, “Did the president lie? Was the president not truthful in his responses to the Mueller investigation?”
The House Judiciary Committee is seeking grand jury testimony and other details redacted from the public version of Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
Last month a judge ordered the Justice Department to turn over the redacted material, but the Trump administration appealed. Whatever the appeals panel decides, the case is likely headed to the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile in a separate development Chief Justice John Roberts ordered an indefinite delay in the House of Representatives’ demand for President Donald Trump’s financial records. Roberts’ order Monday however, contains no hint about how the Supreme Court ultimately will resolve the dispute.
It follows a filing by the House earlier Monday in which the House agreed to a brief halt for the orderly filing of legal briefs, while opposing any lengthy delay.
Those written arguments will allow the justices to decide whether they will jump into the tussle between Congress and the president.
Last week, Trump made an emergency appeal to ask the justices to block the enforcement of a subpoena issued by a House committee to Trump’s accountants. The House has until Thursday to respond, Roberts said.
AP