White House tells Dems it won't hand over Kushner security clearance docs

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12. Chairman Cummings Issues Statement on White House Refusal to Produce Documents and Witnesses

Elijah E. Cummings Retweeted

NEWS ALERT: Chairman @RepCummings issues statement on the #WhiteHouse refusal to produce documents and witnesses on security clearance abuses. Read his full statement here:

Link to tweet

Chairman Cummings Issues Statement on White House Refusal to Produce Documents and Witnesses on Security Clearance Abuses
Mar 5, 2019 Press Release

Washington, D.C. (Mar. 5, 2019)—Last night, the White House responded to the Committee’s request for information regarding security clearance abuses by again refusing to produce any of the requested documents or witnesses. Instead, the White House sent yet another letter challenging Congress’ authority to conduct oversight of this area, while offering access to broad policy documents and a briefing on general procedures. Chairman Cummings issued the following statement relating to the White House’s latest response:

“The White House appears to be arguing that Congress has no authority to examine decisions by the Executive Branch that impact our national security—even when the President’s former National Security Advisor has pleaded guilty to lying about his contacts with foreign government officials. There is a key difference between a president who exercises his authority under the Constitution and a president who overrules career experts and his top advisors to benefit his family members and then conceals his actions from the American people. The White House’s argument defies the Constitutional separation of powers, decades of precedent before this Committee, and just plain common-sense. The White House security clearance system is broken, and it needs both congressional oversight and legislative reform. I will be consulting with Members of the Committee to determine our next steps.”

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