During Wednesday’s hearing, Mr. Nadler argued that Republicans set the precedent for the subpoena during the last Congress, and they supported Democrats’ requests for documents and information during the investigations of Bill Clinton and Richard M. Nixon. “The department is wrong to try to withhold that information from this committee,” Mr. Nadler said. It is also a matter of law.”But practically speaking, the subpoena does not ensure Congress will get what it wants. Mr. Barr could stall or outright defy the request, leaving the House with two options to enforce the subpoena: contempt of Congress proceedings or a court case. Republicans on the committee argued that Democrats were not on solid legal footing and were contorting past positions to serve their present political purposes.

Source: New York Times April 03, 2019 14:27 UTC