Page:20191203 - full report hpsci impeachment inquiry - 20191203.pdf/240

 lawfully bar agency counsel from depositions. This new and shifting rationale from the White House, like the others it has used to attempt to block witnesses from appearing to provide testimony about the President’s misconduct, has no basis in law or the Constitution and is a serious affront to decades of precedent in which Republicans and Democrats have used exactly the same procedures to depose executive branch officials without agency counsel present, including some of the most senior aides to multiple previous Presidents.261

To date, Mr. Vought has not changed his position or contacted the Committees about compliance with the subpoena.

On October 11, the Committees sent a letter to Michael Duffey, the Associate Director for National Security Programs at OMB, seeking his appearance at a deposition on October 23.262


 * On October 21, an attorney at OMB sent an email to Committee staff stating:


 * Per the White House Counsel’s October 8, 2019 letter, the President has directed that “[c]onsistent with the duties of the President of the United States, and in particular his obligation to preserve the rights of future occupants of his office, [he] cannot permit his Administration to participate in this partisan inquiry under these circumstances.” Therefore, Mike Duffey will not be participating in Wednesday’s deposition.263

On October 25, the Committees sent a letter transmitting a subpoena compelling Mr. Duffey to appear at a deposition on November 5, 2019, stating:


 * Your failure or refusal to appear at the deposition, including at the direction or behest of the President or the White House, shall constitute evidence of obstruction of the House’s impeachment inquiry and may be used as an adverse inference against the President.264

On November 4, Jason A. Yaworske, the Associate Director for Legislative Affairs at OMB, sent a letter to Chairman Schiff stating that, “as directed by the White House Counsel’s October 8, 2019, letter,” Mr. Duffey will not appear at his deposition.265

On November 5, Mr. Duffey did not appear for the scheduled deposition, in defiance of the Committees’ subpoena. The Committees met and Chairman Schiff acknowledged Mr. Duffey’s absence, stating:


 * This effort by the President to attempt to block Mr. Duffey from appearing can only be interpreted as a further effort by the President and the White House to obstruct the impeachment inquiry and Congress’s lawful and constitutional functions.266