House Dems seek to subpoena former White House official over security clearances

Democrats on the House Oversight and Reform Committee plan to hold a vote next week on subpoenaing the former White House personnel security director in their investigation into the White House’s security clearance process.

Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) has called for a committee meeting on Tuesday to vote on a resolution authorizing a subpoena for Carl Kline to testify “in connection with the Committee’s investigation into the security clearance process at the White House.”

{mosads}The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday about the scheduled hearing.

The Oversight panel began investigating the security clearance process in January, once Democrats took control of the panel. They opened a probe following reports that President Trump ordered a top-secret clearance for his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner.

CNN reported in January that Kline had left the White House and returned to the Pentagon. NBC News reported around the time that Kline had overruled multiple security officials when it came to approving security clearances for Kushner and more than two dozen others.

Cummings has repeatedly complained that the White House has failed to comply with requests for documents and interviews related to the committee’s investigation.

In a letter to White House counsel Pat Cipollone last month, Cummings warned that the panel would begin subpoenaing officials if the White House did not comply with the requests.

Cipollone has argued that the committee is making “unprecedented and extraordinarily intrusive demands” with its document requests.