Could Congress impose fines if Trump admin. witnesses will not testify? Members are blowing the dust off records more than a century old, looking for ways to compel reluctant witnesses to testify — and to punish them if they refuse. - PeteWilliamsNBC
WASHINGTON — Members of Congress are blowing the dust off records more than a century old, looking for ways to compel reluctant Trump administration witnesses to testify — and to punish them if they refuse.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Friday that if throwing administration figures into a House-run jail isn't an option, Congress could impose big monetary penalties.and studying the law to make sure we're on solid ground."power of Congress is suddenly intense in Washington.
In modern times, the House and Senate go to court when witnesses fail to comply with their subpoenas. If witnesses fail to appear, the U.S. attorney in Washington can be asked to bring criminal charges. But prosecutors seldom follow through whenCongress can also go to court on its own and sue a reluctant witness, urging federal judges to referee the dispute and force the two sides to come to an accommodation on producing evidence. It works, but it is profoundly slow.
It took seven years to fully litigate that case, underscoring how glacially the courts often move when called upon to settle disputes between the other two branches of government. The Constitution does not expressly give Congress the authority to enforce its subpoenas through criminal or civil actions. But as early as 1821, the U.S. Supreme Court said that the House could imprison unwilling witnesses in order to protect its orderly functioning.
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