DOJ releases memos backing Trump immunity claims ahead of impeachment vote
By John Kruzel - 12/13/19 12:20 PM EST
The Justice Department on Thursday made public a series of internal memos that the Trump administration has relied on to justify its defiance of congressional subpoenas related to the impeachment inquiry.
The memos, written by legal advisers in the department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), date as far back as the Nixon administration and supply legal arguments for a broad reading of presidential power in the face of congressional oversight.
The documents may provide clues to the defense strategy for President Trump in a Senate impeachment trial that is all but certain. Democrats have sought administration witnesses and documents to make their case for removing Trump from office.
The memos were released a day before the House Judiciary Committee voted along party lines to advance two articles of impeachment. The House is slated pass the articles next week in a floor vote, a move that would make Trump just the third president in U.S. history to be impeached.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/474462-doj-releases-memos-backing-trump-immunity-claims-ahead-of-impeachment
