White House rejects invitation for Stephen Miller to testify on Trump's hardline immigration policy
- White House senior adviser Stephen Miller will not accept the House Oversight Committee's invitation to provide his testimony regarding President Donald Trump's immigration policy.
- Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings extended an invitation for Miller to testify earlier in April.
- The deadline to respond to the tentative May 1 hearing was on Wednesday.
- In a letter acquired by CNN, White House counsel Pat Cipollone argued that the decision for Miller to not testify aligned with the "long-standing precedent" of similar rejections.
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White House senior adviser Stephen Miller will not accept the House Oversight Committee's invitation to provide his testimony regarding President Donald Trump's immigration policy, according to CNN report published Wednesday.
In a letter acquired by CNN, White House counsel Pat Cipollone argued that the decision aligned with the "long-standing precedent" of similar rejections, when it came to White House staffers. Cipollone instead suggested a cabinet official to answer the committee's questions, according to CNN.
Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the chairman of the Oversight Committee, extended an invitation for Miller to testify earlier in April. The deadline to respond to the tentative May 1 hearing was Wednesday.
In his letter, Cumming offered Miller a chance to explain why he believed "it is good policy for the Trump Administration to take the actions it has" on immigration policy.
Cummings cited numerous examples of Trump's controversial policies throughout his presidency, including the abrupt increase in family separations of migrants on the US-Mexico border, and discussions about dropping off illegal immigrants at sanctuary cities "as a form of illegal retribution against ... political adversaries."
Miller's name has become attached to the United States' immigration policy during Trump's presidency. According to people familiar with the White House's discussions, Trump reportedly suggested that Miller should lead the administration's immigration agenda.
The Department of Homeland Security has recently undergone a significant change in leadership, including the ouster of its secretary, Kristjen Nielsen, in favor of officials that are more receptive towards Trump and Miller's hardline immigration stance.
The White House made similar rejections for its staffers to testify in recent weeks. The Oversight Committee subpoenaed former White House personnel security director Carl Kline to testify on the alleged loopholes in the White House's security clearance procedures, but was met with a rejection.
Cummings indicated he would move to hold Kline in contempt of Congress for "open defiance of a duly authorized congressional subpoena."
Trump said the White House would fight calls for his staffers to testify on a myriad of topics and suggested the demands were motivated by partisan politics.
"We're fighting all the subpoenas," Trump said, according to The New York Times. "These aren't, like, impartial people. The Democrats are trying to win 2020."