7 ways House Democrats could hurdle Trump's subpoena stonewalling

The president says he'll fight "all the subpoenas." Here's how House Democrats could respond.

President Trump and Nancy Pelosi.
(Image credit: Illustrated | NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images, BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images, octomesecam/iStock, -strizh-/iStock)

President Trump said Wednesday that his White House will be "fighting all the subpoenas" from the House. He will also continue refusing to allow testimony from current and former administration officials, on the political — not legal — grounds that House Democrats are partisan and not "impartial people." Trump has always treated the theoretically co-equal legislative branch as a younger sibling, but since Democrats took control of the lower house in January, his view of Congress has apparently shifted from cute plaything to annoying pest.

Some White House officials and Trump allies argue this is a winning strategy to prevent Democrats from obtaining potentially damaging information on Trump until after the 2020 election, even if they ultimately lose their effort to block the subpoenas in court. "Trump's White House appears to have figured out the secret of congressional oversight: There's not much Democrats can do if they say no to everything," Axios notes. But Democrats aren't without options. Here are some tools House Democrats are using or might employ to enforce their oversight responsibilities:

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.