House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y) told CNN Wednesday that President Trump's repeated flouting of the rule of law has thrust the U.S. into a constitutional crisis.
"Certainly it’s a constitutional crisis. I don’t like to use that phrase because it’s been used for far less dangerous situations. The phrase has been overused. We’re in one because the president is disobeying the law, refusing all information to Congress. … It’s a lawless administration. We cannot have a lawless administration.”
Driving the news: Nadler's Wednesday comments come ahead of the House Judiciary Committee's meeting to initiate contempt proceedings against Attorney General Bill Barr for refusing to provide the committee with an unredacted copy of the Mueller report.
The big picture: Barr's refusal is part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration to stonewall the Democrats' investigative efforts. The administration has no intention of cooperating with any of the House's subpoenas or document requests, and there's not much Democrats can do about it.
- On Tuesday night, the Justice Department said that if Nadler moves forward with Barr's contempt vote, President Trump will have no choice but to invoke executive privilege over the Mueller report materials that the committee has requested.
- The White House has also instructed former counsel Don McGahn not to cooperate with a Judiciary subpoena.
- On Monday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin rejected the House Ways and Means Committee's request for Trump's tax returns, likely setting up one of several prolonged court battles.