Top Oversight Dem asks chairman to hold vote on subpoenas

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), the ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, is calling on committee chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) to put six motions to subpoena on the committee’s Thursday agenda.

“I understand that you personally may disagree with our requests, but all of our Committee Members deserve the opportunity to debate and vote on these motions, rather than you unilaterally blocking their consideration,” Cummings wrote to Gowdy in a letter.

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“Many Members of the Committee believe that our Constitutional obligation to conduct rigorous oversight does not depend on who sits in the White House, and all we ask is that you let us offer these motions, debate them, and hold a vote,” the ranking member added.

The letter follows several others from Cummings, who earlier this month accused the White House of stalling congressional efforts to obtain information about administration aides potentially using personal email. 

In Tuesday’s letter, Cummings noted that Democratic congressional staff members on Oct. 20 asked Gowdy’s staff to place the motions on the Thursday agenda. The ranking member said he received “no official response” from Gowdy or his staff and the six motions were not on the upcoming agenda.

Cummings is requesting documents from the White House about Trump officials possibly using personal emails, former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s foreign contacts and the Trump administration’s response to the hurricanes earlier this year.

The ranking member previously asked Gowdy to sign onto a records request for information about White House senior adviser Jared Kushner’s email use and has called on the chairman to have a vote on issuing subpoenas.

Gowdy’s office declined to comment on the letter when reached by The Hill.

— This report was updated at 11:18 a.m.