House chairman threatens to find Justice official in contempt of Congress

House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) said his committee will consider a Department of Justice official to be in contempt if he does not comply with a subpoena to testify. Cummings, in a letter sent to Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday, wrote that Barr appears “to be instructing” John Gore, a principal deputy assistant attorney general, “to defy a duly authorized congressional subpoena” requesting his testimony. “The Committee expects Mr. Gore to testify in accordance with the Committee's lawful subpoena and the Committee's rules,” the letter reads. “If Mr. Gore fails to comply with the subpoena, the Committee will consider him to be in contempt of Congress.”

The letter is in response to the Department of Justice (DOJ) asserting in a letter sent to Cummings on Tuesday that it would not comply with the committee’s subpoena if Gore was not permitted to have an agency lawyer with him. Gore is wanted for testimony about a citizenship question added to the 2020 census. The Supreme Court is slated to hear oral arguments about the question later this month. Three federal judges have blocked the question from being added to the 2020 survey. Gore has already met with the Oversight panel but Cummings has said he refused to answer more than 150 questions. The agency argued that because of the ongoing legal challenges to the question, Gore was not and would not be able to answer certain questions.

In arguing that a DOJ lawyer should be present for Gore’s testimony, the DOJ argued that there is a precedent for such action and that Gore is acting in his official capacity. Cummings has offered to allow Justice Department counsel to be in a separate room during Gore’s deposition. He also said Gore would be allowed to consult with the attorney during his testimony if needed. Gore was scheduled to sit for the deposition Thursday. An Oversight Committee spokesperson told The Hill that the testimony had been postponed, and a rescheduled date would be announced

later.

The Department of Commerce announced last year it would add the question on citizenship status on the next census, saying it would help DOJ enforce the Voting Rights Act. The decision sparked pushback from a number of states, who opted to legally challenge the addition of the question in the courts. Critics of the move have argued it could deter individuals from responding to the census, which could lead to the population being undercounted. The census is used to calculate how federal funding will be allocated.

In addition to Gore’s testimony, the committee also issued two additional subpoenas. One was to the Justice Department requesting any communications on the census question between DOJ, the White House, the Republican National Committee, the Trump campaign or members of Congress. And a second was issued to the Department of Commerce calling for unredacted internal communications and documents on the census question from Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/438489-house-chairman-threatens-to-find-justice-official-in-contempt-of-congress

Herman Cain expected to withdraw from consideration for Fed: report

Businessman and former presidential candidate Herman Cain is expected to withdraw from consideration for a seat on the Federal Reserve Board, ABC News reported Thursday, citing an administration official and source familiar with the matter. President Trump last week announced he would nominate Cain to the board. Cain's nomination faced strong criticism and four Republican senators said they would vote against confirming him, likely sinking his nomination. The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment on Cain's reported withdrawal plans.

Cain ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, but dropped out of the race after four women accused him of sexual harassment. Cain has denied the allegations. The accusations have made him a controversial pick for the board. Republicans have also demonstrated concern about Cain's support for cutting interest rates.

https://thehill.com/policy/finance/438567-herman-cain-expected-to-withdraw-from-consideration-for-fed-report

Susan Rice says she won't challenge Susan Collins for Senate seat

Former national security adviser Susan Rice said Thursday that she will not challenge Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) for her Senate seat in 2020. Rice said that Collins's vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh despite allegations against him of sexual misconduct caused her to consider challenging Collins. "I was deeply disappointed when Susan Collins decided to vote for Brett Kavanaugh,” Rice said at the 10th Annual Women in the World Summit in New York. “It felt like a betrayal, frankly, to all women, and it made me think very seriously about whether I ought to run for Senate in 2020.”

But Rice said she was not ready to move her family to Maine full time and did not want to put them through the stress of a campaign. “In the course of weighing it all, I’ve decided with my family that the timing really isn’t right for us,” she said. “I’ve got a daughter going into her junior year in high school in Washington and this is not the time to move ourselves full-time up to Maine and to put my family through the stresses of a campaign.” Rice added that this does not mean she won't run for office in the future. "I don’t rule out running for office in the future,” she said. “In Maine or beyond.”

Rice previously hinted that she would challenge Collins. When former White House communications director Jen Psaki asked on Twitter, "Who wants to run for Senate in Maine?" Rice responded "Me." She later clarified that she was "not making any announcements." Rice served as an adviser in the Obama administration and also served as ambassador to the United Nations.

Collins, a moderate, is seen as a potentially vulnerable senator ahead of the 2020 elections, as Maine is a primarily Democratic state. She was one of three Republican senators to vote against repealing the Affordable Care Act, but voted to confirm Kavanaugh. Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), the only Democrat who voted to confirm Kavanaugh, said Thursday that he supports Collins's reelection bid and offered to campaign for her.

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/438553-susan-rice-says-she-wont-challenge-susan-collins-for-senate-seat