McConnell: Courts will resolve Trump-Dems subpoena fight

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) sidestepped questions about the effort by House Democrats to subpoena Trump officials, saying the fight will likely be resolved in the courts.

Asked during a weekly leadership press conference if administration officials have an “obligation” to comply with a congressional subpoena, the Senate GOP leader said it was up to the courts to decide. 

“It’s pretty obvious the administration’s view is they finished this, no collusion, and the president has indicated he thinks a do over is not something he’s interested in cooperating in. So my assumption is that all these issues are going to end up in the courts,” McConnell told reporters on Tuesday.

Pressed if that meant congressional subpoenas were “optional,” McConnell added: “It looks like it’s going to end up in court, we’ll see how it’s all worked out.”

“A better way, obviously, would be for both sides to talk to each other and see if there’s some way out of this impasse,” McConnell said.

McConnell’s remarks come as House Democrats have fired off rounds of subpoenas as they try to investigate the Trump administration and campaign but are getting pushback from the White House. 

Trump told reporters last week that he plans to fight “all the subpoenas,” accusing Democrats of trying to hamper his administration heading into the 2020 election.

Trump, members of his family and his private businesses filed a federal lawsuit late Monday against Deutsche Bank and Capital One in an attempt to block the financial institutions from complying with congressional subpoenas.

It’s not the first time members of an administration and lawmakers have clashed. Republicans threatened to arrest then-Attorney General Eric Holder in 2012 after the House voted to hold him in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a congressional subpoena seeking records related to the botched “Fast and Furious” gun-tracking operation.

Asked, on Tuesday, why future administrations would comply with future congressional subpoenas, McConnell argued that the current scuffle wasn’t unique.

“Every administration since I’ve been around has been in disputes with Congress over power,” he said. “It always happens over one thing or another, and we’ll see how it all sorts out.”