Legal experts say US court ruling on White House counsel could encourage witnesses to talk in impeachment probe
A court ruling expected on Monday (November 25) could give cover to former national security advisor John Bolton and other administration officials to cooperate in the impeachment inquiry against US President Donald Trump, legal experts said.
US District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson in Washington said she would rule by Monday in a lawsuit by a US House of Representatives committee seeking to compel former White House Counsel Don McGahn to testify in the probe.
Brown Jackson an appointee of former President Barack Obama suggested during oral argument in October that she would rule in favor of the House. The Trump administration has argued that the US Constitution does not give congress power to compel testimony from senior members of the executive branch.
A decision that McGahn must testify would not bind other officials and would almost certainly be appealed. But some lawyers said Bolton and others could use a ruling to justify talking to Congress if they decide doing so would be in their self-interest.
A string of public impeachment hearings ended on Nov. 21, but House leaders have not ruled out conducting more hearings before they vote on whether to charge Trump. Additional witnesses could be called in a Senate trial to determine Trump's guilt or innocence.
Some high-ranking diplomats in the State Department and White House National Security Council officials have cooperated with the House investigation defying Trump's orders.
Others including McGahn, Bolton, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney have so far refused to testify.
(Source: Reuters)
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