Daily Update | October 17, 2019
Mackenzie Walz // 10/17/19 //
A House Committee asks for expedited enforcement of a subpoena. New immigration data suggests that Trump is remaking the immigration system. And new info emerges about Mick Mulvaney's role in the Ukraine scandal.
TRUMP: INVESTIGATIONS & LITIGATION
Two newly obtained tax documents from President Trump’s records demonstrate reporting inconsistencies, which could amount to bank fraud and tax fraud (ProPublica; WaPo).
The House Oversight Committee requested a federal appeals court to expedite enforcement of the subpoena for President Trump’s financial records (The Hill).
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY
At the direction of President Trump, acting White House Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney, placed the hold on Ukrainian aid, which is at the center of the impeachment inquiry (WaPo).
- Lawfare explains the legal underpinnings of this action.
Without a sound legal strategy, the impeachment inquiry is decreasing President Trump’s control over his destiny, contends Doug Sosnick for The Washington Post.
IMMIGRATION
USCIS released preliminary fiscal year 2019 agency statistics, suggesting the agency has been successfully implementing President Trump’s numerous immigration policies (ImmigrationProf Blog)
JUSTICE & SAFETY
In response to strikes on Saudi Arabian oil facilities last month, the United States conducted a secret cyberattack against Iran (Reuters; The Hill).
By a bipartisan vote, the House passed a resolution formally condemning President Trump’s withdrawal of troops from Northern Syria (POLITICO).
- President Trump defended the withdrawal, stating it isn’t our border and the Kurds are safer now (NPR).
The United States has resumed providing foreign assistance funding to Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador after all three countries signed immigration deals (WaPo).
REGULATION
The Administration’s proposal to eliminate disparate impact claims under the FHA will impose a higher burden on claimants, weakening the Act’s protection, argues Linda Morris and Alejandro Agustin Ortiz for the ACLU.
CHECKS & BALANCES
Congressional Democrats are protesting President Trump’s reallocation of $200 million in counterdrug efforts to construct his border wall, calling it an abuse of power (WaPo).
Disputes surrounding executive privilege and Congress’ subpoena power are typically resolved via the political process, but some Supreme Court cases shed light on the matters, discusses Steve Vladeck for SCOTUSblog.