12th November, 2019
Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney on Tuesday dumped plans to file a lawsuit regarding his compliance with a subpoena for congressional testimony in the House impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
According to thehill.com, Mulvaney’s attorneys notified a federal court about his new stance. He will now obey instructions from Trump to shun the subpoena by the House.
The attorneys reportedly told the court that after further consideration he “does not intend to pursue litigation regarding the deposition subpoena issued to him by the U.S. House of Representatives”.
The filing came hours after Mulvaney’s lawyers said he planned to file his own suit after encountering opposition to joining a similar one filed by former White House official Charles Kupperman.
“Rather, he will rely on the direction of the President, as supported by an opinion of the Office of Legal Counsel of the U.S. Department of Justice, in not appearing for the relevant deposition,” Mulvaney’s attorneys, William Pittard and Christopher Muha, wrote in a filing in D.C. District Court on Tuesday.
Also Read: Mulvaney disobeys Trump
Judge Richard Leon had scheduled a status conference for 3:30 p.m. Tuesday on the matter, but Pittard and Muha said it would no longer be necessary in light of Mulvaney’s decision.
Mulvaney was subpoenaed by the House Intelligence Committee to testify last Friday in connection with the impeachment inquiry focused on the Trump administration’s policies on Ukraine. Mulvaney did not show up with the appearance, and House Democrats have signalled decisions by the acting chief of staff and others not to cooperate in the impeachment inquiry would be taken as evidence of obstruction.
Read the original in thehill.com