Trump defends denying McGahn’s testimony

President Trump on Tuesday accused Democrats of seeking a “do-over” of the special counsel’s investigation into Russian interference, defending his decision to tell former White House counsel Don McGahn to defy a House Judiciary Committee subpoena.

“So even though I didn’t have to do it with Presidential Privilege, I allowed everyone to testify, including White House Counsel Don McGahn (for over 30 hours), to Robert Mueller and the 18 Angry Trump-Hating Democrats, and they arrived at a conclusion of NO COLLUSION and NO OBSTRUCTION!” Trump tweeted.

….at a conclusion of NO COLLUSION and NO OBSTRUCTION! The Dems were unhappy with the outcome of the $40M Mueller Report, so now they want a do-over.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 21, 2019

{mosads}Mueller found that he could not establish a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. He did not make a determination on obstruction of justice, instead leaving it up to Congress to further investigate the matter. The attorney general and deputy attorney general determined there was not sufficient evidence to charge Trump with obstruction.

Roughly an hour before Trump’s tweet, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) issued subpoenas to Annie Donaldson, who served as chief of staff to McGahn, and former White House communications director Hope Hicks, one of Trump’s longest-serving aides in the West Wing and an ally dating back to the 2016 campaign.

The Judiciary Committee opened the day by holding a hearing for McGahn, who skipped the opportunity to testify after the White House encouraged him to do so.

The president has in recent days accused Democrats of wanting a “redo” or a “do-over” of the Mueller investigation. Democrats in the House have subpoenaed multiple former White House officials for testimony and documents, but the White House has consistently rebuffed their efforts to get documentation or testimony from the White House.

Trump has argued his cooperation with the Mueller investigation was sufficient. Hicks, McGahn and Donaldson each spoke with investigators from the special counsel’s office.

The White House’s refusal to cooperate with Democratic oversight efforts has led to fresh calls from some party members to begin impeachment proceedings.