Former President Donald Trump has never been secretive about his efforts to avoid any and all accountability or oversight.
Trump repeatedly sought to discredit investigations into his campaign's contacts with Russia, his pressure on the Ukrainian President, and a host of other scandals. Trump and his officials routinely defied congressional subpoenas and document requests, hindering Congress' role in holding the executive branch accountable.
After Trump's lies about the 2020 election prompted a mob of his extremist supporters to mount a deadly, failed insurrection against the United States Capitol, the former President once again blasted calls for an investigation and his subsequent (second) impeachment.
Now, a newly-revealed letter shows the lengths to which Trump and his allies are going to obstruct the investigation of the Capitol riots.
The House Select committee investigating the events before and during January 6 recently issued subpoenas to multiple Trump administration officials and allies, ordering them to turn over documents and testify.
Now, according to reporting from Politico's Betsy Woodruff Swan, a Trump lawyer wrote a letter to those subpoenaed, instructing them not to cooperate with Congress's demands.
NEW: I viewed a letter from Trump's legal team to a person who the 1/6 committee subpoenaed. It says not to comply with the subpoena -- including to withhold documents and testimonyhttps://www.politico.com/news/2021/10/07/trump-jan-6-committees-subpoena-515593\u00a0\u2026— Betsy Woodruff Swan (@Betsy Woodruff Swan) 1633626780
The letter cites executive privilege, claiming Trump's conversations with officials are confidential and protected from congressional oversight. This is despite the Biden administration saying it wouldn't extend executive privilege to Trump-era documents. What's more, at least one of those subpoenaed—Steve Bannon—wasn't working in the White House when the riots unfolded, but instead peddling Trump's election lies as a private citizen.
People surmised that the letter amounted to obstruction of justice.
This is what Trump did when he was President and he at least spoke with the authority of the executive branch. He no longer has any authority so this is just blatant obstruction of justice, as it would be if anyone else said this.https://twitter.com/woodruffbets/status/1446161649673572360\u00a0\u2026— Daniel Goldman (@Daniel Goldman) 1633645564
Obstruction of justice is a federal crime under 18 USC sec. 1505https://twitter.com/msnbc/status/1446815486130466823\u00a0\u2026— Laurence Tribe (@Laurence Tribe) 1633846329
This is obstruction of an ongoing congressional investigation and Donald J. Trump should be charged with such immediately.https://twitter.com/woodruffbets/status/1446161649673572360\u00a0\u2026— Kurt Bardella (@Kurt Bardella) 1633640627
Obstruction of justice in plain sight. This should be easy. The DOJ needs to charge him and arrest him now.https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/1446815486130466823\u00a0\u2026— John Oberlin (@John Oberlin) 1633896085
This sounds a lot like obstruction of justicehttps://twitter.com/woodruffbets/status/1446161649673572360\u00a0\u2026— Joyce Alene (@Joyce Alene) 1633630119
This is clear-cut obstruction of justice. \n\nThe court of public opinion can't do the work of courts of law and no democracy can last expecting otherwise.https://twitter.com/woodruffbets/status/1446161649673572360\u00a0\u2026— *The* Editorial Board (@*The* Editorial Board) 1633630970
Though Trump's allies have repeatedly dismissed the role his actions played in sparking the riots, people think a deeper investigation would reveal the scope of Trump's culpability.
Now why would a former president try to impede the investigation of an attack on the US Capitol?https://twitter.com/woodruffbets/status/1446161649673572360\u00a0\u2026— David Corn (@David Corn) 1633645292
What are they are so concerned about hiding? #WhatAreTheyHiding ?https://twitter.com/woodruffbets/status/1446161649673572360\u00a0\u2026— Slugtales! (@Slugtales!) 1633653608
Trump ordering his former aides to defy congressional subpoenas is a classic consciousness of guilt. \n\nWhat does Trump have to hide? EVERYTHING.https://twitter.com/woodruffbets/status/1446161649673572360\u00a0\u2026— Katie S. Phang (@Katie S. Phang) 1633647729
It's unclear how Congress intends to enforce the subpoenas.
