VOA常速英语:特朗普：别拿传唤吓唬我 没用

Hush money payments allegedly made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, the security clearance for President Trump’s son-in-law, and special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe on Russian meddling in the 2016 election, these are some of the controversies being investigated by congressional Democrats. On Sunday, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler threatened to subpoena Attorney General William Barr if he refuses to testify this Thursday about the Mueller report. The administration says it disagrees with the format of the questioning. It’s the House wanting to have staff and others interview. Turning General Barr is really outrageous the way they’re behaving. Democrats have already subpoenaed several officials, including former White House Counsel Don McGahn who threatened to resign rather than carry out Trump’s 2017 order to fire Mueller. Trump says he will fight all subpoenas.

I have been the most transparent president and administration in the history of our country by far. Although there is debate on whether some testimony should be made public, most constitutional scholars agree the president has no legal basis to refuse to respond to Congress. In fact, that, in and out of itself, is an independent reason potentially to impeach a president, because then he wouldn’t be following the Take Care Clause of the Constitution under which the executive has to take care that laws are faithfully executed. Polls show most Americans oppose impeachment. After the release of the Mueller report, Trump has threatened to take Democrats to the Supreme Court if they impeach him. The move is questioned legally, but the rhetoric may be effective politically.
Most of us don’t read those kinds of documents every day, and don’t understand the kinds of arguments, and frankly, evidence standards that are in them, so to repeat a conclusion that’s as simple as no collusion over and over again has been effective. Meanwhile, Trump’s personal attorneys have sued House Oversight Committee Chair Elijah E. Cummings, a Democrat for issuing a subpoena seeking Trump’s personal financial records. The administration is also denying requests from Democrats to hand over Trump’s tax returns and is refusing to comply with subpoenas in the investigation of the controversial decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.
Patsy Widakuswara, VOA News at the White House.