Donald Trump is going all out to thwart House Democrats’ investigations into the murkier aspects of his presidency. On Monday, he sued the House Oversight Committee chairman in a desperate attempt to prevent a subpoena of his financial records, and now the White House has ordered a top security official not to comply with a House subpoena demanding an interview. Carl Kline, who was in charge of the security-clearance process and now works at the Defense Department, was instructed late Monday to not appear at Tuesday’s interview, claiming that Democrats were looking for access to confidential information, CNN reports. (The Daily Beast has also seen the emails confirming the order.) House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings previously said he could seek to hold Kline in contempt of Congress if he failed to appear for the interview. Michael Purpura, deputy counsel to Trump, said the subpoena “unconstitutionally encroaches on fundamental Executive Branch interests.” Kline’s attorney said his client would listen to his employer. Kline reportedly approved Jared Kushner’s security clearance despite several red flags raised by career officials.
