Associated Press
The Daily Mail [UK]
15 Jul 2014
The White House is defying a congressional subpoena by keeping a top political aide to President Barack Obama from testifying at a hearing Wednesday, setting up a potential new legal battle in this midterm election year.
The White House argued that Obama adviser David Simas is immune from the “extraordinary demand” of being forced to testify before the House Oversight Committee as part of its investigation into the White House Office of Political Strategy and Outreach, which he directs.
White House counsel Neil Eggleston said in a letter Tuesday night to Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., that the Simas subpoena “threatens longstanding interests of the executive branch in preserving the president’s independence and autonomy, as well as his ability to obtain candid advice and counsel to aid him in the discharge of his duties.”…
The article continues at The Daily Mail.
