 MAY 20, 2019 President Donald Trump has directed former White House counsel Don McGahn to defy a congressional subpoena and not testify Tuesday, White House counsel Pat Cipollone said Monday.
In a letter to House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, Cipollone wrote that the Justice Department "has advised me that Mr. McGahn is absolutely immune from compelled congressional testimony with respect to matters occurring during his service as a senior adviser to the President." He added, "the President has directed Mr. McGahn not to appear at the Committee's scheduled hearing" on Tuesday.
"If Don McGahn doesn’t testify, it is time to open an impeachment inquiry," said House Judiciary committee member Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), said on MTP Daily. As the 11th Hour with Brian Williams pointed out on their broadcast, the White House fighting multiple legal battles— defying subpoenas and stonewalling Congress— is only heating up impeachment talks.
"No one in this country is above the law and we need to start talking about what's becoming a lawless presidency," said Rep. Jackie Speier on Hardball.
"This is no longer purely a partisan affair," comments The Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin on All In, particularly after Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich) called for impeachment in a Twitter thread he posted summarizing his thoughts following his complete reading of the Mueller report.
A federal judge in Washington D.C. on Monday ruled in favor of the House Oversight Committee's bid to obtain President Donald Trump's financial records from his accounting firm.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who also denied Trump's request to stay his decision pending an appeal, said Congress was acting within its broad authority to investigate, rejecting arguments from Trump's attorneys who said the panel's probe, and subsequent document demands, served no legislative purpose.
"It is simply not fathomable that a Constitution that grants Congress the power to remove a President for reasons including criminal behavior would deny Congress the power to investigate him for unlawful conduct—past or present—even without formally opening an impeachment inquiry," Mehta wrote.
"Congress plainly views itself as having sweeping authority to investigate illegal conduct of a President, before and after taking office. This court is not prepared to roll back the tide of history," he added.
On her show, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow sees the question about the president's taxes and finances as looming "like a burbling, belching volcano that everybody knows is going to explode sometime soon, but nobody knows exactly when."
ICYMI: Videos from MSNBC Today  Rep. Adam Schiff talks with Rachel Maddow about the need to follow Donald Trump's money where Robert Mueller did not and why a court victory by the House Oversight Committee may be the beginning of the end of Trump's challenges to congressional subpoenas for his financial documents. (Rachel Maddow)
 Actor Jeff Daniels joins Nicolle Wallace to discuss the Trump presidency, the average American voter, and how the current political climate impacts his performance of Atticus Finch in Broadway’s “To Kill a Mockingbird." (Deadline: White House)
 A 16-year-old migrant Guatemalan boy died in U.S. custody Monday, the fifth child since December to die after detention. (All In)
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Kids Under Pressure: States see severe shortage for teen mental health services. New reporting shows that the nation's medical system does not have enough resources to meet the demand for teen mental health services. Jayne O’Donnell, a healthcare policy reporter for USA Today who reported out this story, joined Hallie Jackson to discuss. Watch.
From aromatherapy to anger management: How schools are addressing the 'crisis' of childhood trauma. Schools are experimenting with new ways to address behavior issues and support students who are struggling emotionally. Read more.
Coming up on MSNBC Tuesday on the Beat with Ari Melber, billionaire Tom Steyer joins MSNBC to talk about why he's spending a million dollars in advertising, calling on Democrats to impeach President Trump.
Lawrence O'Donnell moderates a conversation with Sen. Kamala Harris next week in South Carolina, Tuesday, May 28. Get tickets to that live event here.
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