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The incoming chair of the House Oversight Committee said he takes his newfound subpoena power very seriously and will not be handing them out indiscriminately.
In an exclusive interview on “This Week” Sunday, ranking Democrat Rep. Elijah Cummings told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos that subpoenas must be used methodically.
“I’m not going to be handing out subpoenas like somebody’s handing out candy on Halloween, I take this as a lawyer and as an officer of the court, I take subpoenas very seriously and I plan to, if I have to use them, they will be used in a very, in a methodical way and it must be in the public interest,” Cummings said.
He also added that the subpoenas will be used as a “method of last resort.”
With a House majority and a larger budget, Democrats on the Oversight Committee will have more flexibility to pursue their investigations.
Cummings has already drafted a list of 64 subpoenas and inquiries relating to concerns about the Trump administration’s activities. Republicans rejected the list in the most recent Congress, but Democrats have expressed an interest in revisiting those requests when they assume the majority.
Evan Vucci/APWhen they assume the majority in the House, Democrats will be able to issue subpoenas and compel federal officials to turn over records and testify before their committees. Their powers also include the ability to ask the Internal Revenue Service to turn over individual tax records for review, including those of President Trump. The chairs of at least four committees — Oversight, Judiciary, Intelligence and Ways and Means — have expressed an interest in pursuing investigations into Trump, his administration and his personal finances.
Trump, however, has called the House’s plans to investigate him a “waste” of taxpayer money, even threatening to have the Republican Senate investigate them in return.
If the Democrats think they are going to waste Taxpayer Money investigating us at the House level, then we will likewise be forced to consider investigating them for all of the leaks of Classified Information, and much else, at the Senate level. Two can play that game!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2018
In an interview also on “This Week,” Cummings’ Democratic colleague Rep. Jerrold Nadler, the incoming chair of the House Judiciary Committee, said his committee will also provide oversight on President Trump. When it came to pushing for impeachment, however, Nadler was measured, citing his own previous opposition to the Clinton impeachment.
“You have to be very reluctant to do an impeachment,” Nadler said. “I criticized the Republicans 20 years ago for the Clinton impeachment because I thought it was not based.”
Nadler said the process depends on what comes out from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report. When Stephanopoulos asked Nadler what his committee’s top oversight priority would be, Nadler said it would be to ensure Mueller’s investigation can continue uninterfered to its natural conclusion.”
Andrew Harnik/AP, FILE“Our top priority is to protect the Mueller investigation, to protect the integrity of that investigation from the White House attempt to stifle it and to – to interfere with it,” Nadler said.
Amid fears of the President’s interference in investigations where he is a subject, Cummings asked the President not to stand in the way of committee efforts to investigate Trump and his administration.
“I’m going to do what I think is best and I’m going to do what the Constitution demands what we do and I would ask that the president not try to stand in our way of doing our job,” Cummings said.
Stephanopoulos followed up by asking what his response will be if the President does not cooperate.
“What are you going to do if the administration and the White House refuse to answer and comply with your subpoenas,” Stephanopoulos asked.
“We will cross that bridge when we get to it. I’m not going to deal with that hypothetical because I’m more optimistic than that,” said Cummings.
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