House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) announced Monday that the committee is launching a wide-ranging investigation into allegations of obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power by President Donald Trump, as well as looking into Trumpâs businesses, campaign, transition team and administration.
The House Judiciary Committee sent document requests to 81 individuals and entities Monday, including the White House, the Justice Department, senior campaign officials, Trump Organization officials and the presidentâs sons, CNN reports.
The requests appear to cover all major events under scrutiny by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, federal prosecutors and congressional investigators, with some of the requests even asking for copies of documents produced for other investigations, meaning the committee is likely to retread ground that federal prosecutors have already pursued.
ICYMI: Democrats launch sweeping obstruction of justice probe into President Trump. #MTPDaily@DougBurnsTHELAW breaks down the 3 categories of the Democratsâ wide-ranging investigation:
1.Obstruction of justice
2. Emoluments Clause
3. General abuse of power pic.twitter.com/YcjT0SMUDyâ Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) March 5, 2019
Tackling questions on obstruction of justice, hush money payments and collusion with Russia, the committee is seeking documents and communications related to issues including former FBI Director James Comeyâs firing, possible pardons offered by Trump, former Trump attorney Michael Cohenâs hush money payments to women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump prior to the 2016 presidential election, Trump campaign officialsâ contact with Russians and WikiLeaks, the Trump Tower meeting between campaign officials and a Russian lawyer who claimed to have dirt on Hillary Clinton and communications between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, ABC News reports.
Committee Democratsâ requests also focus on Trumpâs finances, including potential conflict-of-interest between Trumpâs business interests and the administration, given the concerns about possible violations of the Constitutionâs emoluments clause.
Democrats have requested all relevant information to their investigation by March 18, as Democrats on the committee hope to hold closed-door interviews and public hearings with some of the individuals from this first round of letters within weeks, according to committee counsel, CNN reports.
The evidence gathered in the probe, which is being guided by two attorneys brought on by Democrats to oversee the investigation, would likely be the basis of a possible impeachment hearing, should Democrats decide to launch impeachment efforts against Trump. But official impeachment proceedings are still âa long way down the road,â according to Nadler.
âWe donât have the facts yet. But weâre going to initiate proper investigations,â Nadler said Sunday during an interview on ABCâs This Week, adding âthere can be crimes that are impeachable offenses and impeachable offenses that are not crimes.â
Nadler also said he believed Trump had obstructed justice based on the Cohenâs testimony before two congressional committees last week.
âIt’s very clear â 1,100 times he referred to the Mueller investigation as a witch hunt, he tried to â he fired â he tried to protect (former national security adviser Michael) Flynn from being investigated by the FBI,â Nadler said. âHe fired (former FBI Director James) Comey in order to stop the Russian thing, as he told NBC News. … He’s intimidated witnesses, in public.â
During an event with the North Dakota State Bison football team on Monday, Trump was asked if he would cooperate with Nadlerâs requests.
âI cooperate all the time with everybody,â Trump said. âAnd you know the beautiful thing: no collusion. It is all a hoax. Youâre going to learn about that as you get older. Itâs a political hoax, thereâs no collusion.â
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders released a statement on the investigation Monday evening, however, describing it as âdisgraceful and abusive.â
âToday, Chairman Nadler opened up a disgraceful and abusive investigation into tired, false allegations already investigated by the Special Counsel and committees in both Chambers of Congress,â Sanders said in the statement. âChairman Nadler and his fellow Democrats have embarked on this fishing expedition because they are terrified that their two-year false narrative of âRussia collusionâ is crumbling. Their intimidation and abuse of American citizens is shameful.â
âDemocrats are harassing the President to distract from their radical agenda of making America a socialist country, killing babies after they’re born, and pushing a âgreen new dealâ that would destroy jobs and bankrupt America,â she added. âThe American people deserve a Congress that works with the President to address serious issues like immigration, healthcare, and infrastructure. The Democrats are more interested in pathetic political games and catering to a radical, leftist base than on producing results for our citizens. The Democrats are not after the truth, they are after the President.â