First on CNN: White House directs Hicks, Donaldson to withhold White House documents from House pane

[demmiblue]

Source: CNN

(CNN)The White House has directed former officials Hope Hicks and Annie Donaldson not to turn over any documents to the House Judiciary Committee relating to their time at the White House, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Hicks, the former White House communications director, still could turn over documents the committee has requested related to the 2016 Trump campaign, as that period cannot be covered by executive privilege. In 2018, Hicks testified before the House Intelligence Committee about her time on the campaign, but she would not answer questions about the White House.

The White House sent letters to the committee stating that White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney had directed Hicks and Donaldson, the former deputy White House counsel, not to turn over the documents.

Both officials had been issued subpoenas by the committee with a deadline of Tuesday.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/04/politics/hope-hicks-annie-donaldson-white-house-documents/index.html

[Sanity Claws]

1. Why should they comply with WH commands?

The House Committee could hold them in contempt but what could the WH do?
If they were attorneys, they could be worried about violating privilege and getting disbarred or at least facing procedures. But these two are not attorneys or hold any other professional license they have to worry about losing.

[machoneman]

2. IIRC, they can testify even about the documents (free speech) and the WH can't do a damn thing.

Funny how executive privilege works. The WH can prevent post-election document transmittal but not pre-election. They can talk all they want however. I doubt they will talk about post-election stuff but they could if they wanted to.

[lagomorph777]

3. Is the criterion post-election, or post-inauguration?

And of course the criminal exception does apply here, in the Trump Criminal Hearings.

Turd continues to add more counts of Obstruction to his upcoming Articles. Very Stable Genius®.

[machoneman]

6. It's post-inauguration as an in-coming President is really a nobody until sworn-in

He's still a nobody afterwards as well but that's another story, eh?

[lagomorph777]

7. +1 That's what I thought.

(to both parts)

[Igel]

9. He's nobody until he's actually elected.

That's in December, of course, not November. Only that point was he president-elect.

Truly not an elected official in any way until then.

[watoos]

4. We are going to have a very strong case

built up against Trump after the election. I sure hope he loses because if he doesn't our democracy is over.

[EleanorR]

5. Annie Donaldson Talley, husband Brett is asst AG at DOJ

Last year, Brett Talley withdrew his name for a nomination to the federal bench after it was discovered that he operated a prolific account on a message board where, among other things, he defended the Ku Klux Klan and joked about statutory rape. Talley, however, apparently had a pretty sweet gig to fall back on at the totally-not-racist Justice Department run by the totally-not-racist Jeff Sessions.

And now run by Barr with his son-in-law working in the office of the white house counsel advising trump, and his daughter working in the financial crimes unit. All working to protect trump.

[lark]

8. Lock them up until they fold, it won't take long. They have no inner strength, just sycophants.

No person with any strength of integrity would have anything at all to do with drumpf, so that definitely excludes Hicks.

[Vinca]

10. Absolutely. It's time to push the issue.

[Mc Mike]

11. Those are OUR documents. The peoples' documents.

Presidential Records Act trumps any nondisclosure agreement your lame reality tv 'star' ass made those officials sign. Shitler.