CONGRESS/DEMS/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/LEGAL/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The White House on Monday [5-20-19] directed former White House Counsel Don McGahn to defy a subpoena to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday [5-21-19], and the Justice Department released a corresponding legal opinion arguing that McGahn is not obligated to answer lawmakers’ questions. The move deals a blow to House Democrats, who have sought testimony from McGahn after special counsel Robert Mueller’s report detailed President Donald Trump’s efforts to shut down the Russia probe…Later Monday, William Burck, McGahn’s lawyer, said the former White House counsel will ‘respect the president’s instruction’ and will not appear on Tuesday [5-21-19]. Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) said the panel will convene as scheduled…Though the new Justice Department opinion draws heavily on directives drafted in previous administrations, the 15-page Office of Legal Counsel memo incorporates some of the president’s broader legal arguments against congressional oversight — a signal that it views the fight to block McGahn’s testimony as part of a bigger effort to resist congressional scrutiny.”
–Andrew Desiderio and Kyle Cheney, “White House instructs McGahn to defy Dem subpoena to testify,” Politico, May 20, 2019 7:37 pm