AXIOS (Avery Lotz) - Trump's DOJ lays groundwork for subpoena fights with a Democratic Congress
Executive privilege can shield President Trump's communications with "private advisers" outside of the government, the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel concluded Monday. Why it matters: Democrats have been planning to bypass expected White House stonewalling by subpoenaing companies, colleges and private citizens if they win enough seats in November. The new opinion could create a new hurdle for Democrats should they retake Congress. - "It really could be a pretty significant weapon" for the administration "to deflect a lot of that congressional investigation of private parties," says Jonathan Shaub, a University of Kentucky law professor and former OLC attorney. The fine print: "The need for presidential confidentiality…
Executive privilege can shield President Trump's communications with "private advisers" outside of the government, the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel concluded Monday. Why it matters: Democrats have been planning to bypass expected White House stonewalling by subpoenaing companies, colleges and private citizens if they win enough seats in November. The new opinion could create a new hurdle for Democrats should they retake Congress. - "It really could be a pretty significant weapon" for the administration "to deflect a lot of that congressional investigation of private parties," says Jonathan Shaub, a University of Kentucky law professor and former OLC attorney. The fine print: "The need for presidential confidentiality…Open