The chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee says the White House is now in “open defiance” of his panel after lawyers advised a former official to defy a subpoena related to the committee’s investigation of White House security clearances.
Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings says he is consulting with members and staff about scheduling a vote on contempt after former White House personnel security director Carl Kline did not show up for a scheduled deposition on Tuesday.
The committee had subpoenaed Kline after one of his former subordinates told the panel that dozens of people in President Donald Trump’s administration were granted security clearances despite “disqualifying issues” in their backgrounds.
The fight over Kline’s appearance comes as the White House has stonewalled the panel in several different investigations.