Subpoena Contempt

towermonkey wrote: Can you tell me what judicial enforcement authority specifically covers these subpoenas? In the Nixon SCOTUS case, it was specified that congress had subpoena authority in relation to an ongoing trial.

Subpoena power is one of the major precedents followed since the late 1780s but not codified until the case McGrain v. Daugherty (U.S. Jan 17, 1927 273 U.S. 135 (1927)) . Congress, since its inception had used subpoena powers to compel testimony under “common law” provisions, which formed the basis of the Constitution and were handed down by such principle documents as the Magna Carta and Acts of Parliament.

In a recent letter to Congress, the White House argued that in the absence of a full House vote, the impeachment inquiry is “constitutionally invalid and a violation of due process.” In fact, there is no Constitutional or statutory requirement that the House take a full vote, and a federal Court of Appeals ruled just days after the White House’s letter that the House is not legally required to vote before issuing subpoenas in an impeachment inquiry.

Speaking to reporters in the White House Cabinet Room, Trump dismissed as “phony” a section of the Constitution that bars federal office holders from accepting gifts from foreign governments.

“You people with this phony Emoluments Clause,” he said.

Rick wrote: If Trump had a secret server that he used for government business and decided to delete tens of thousand of emails which were under congressional subpoena, would that be considered "subpoena contempt"? This is a pretty easy one to answer is you have an honest bone in your body..