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"Let me underscore that point: The White House has not turned over a single piece of paper to our committee or made a single official available for testimony during the 116th Congress." -- @RepCummings, via @PostOpinions washingtonpost.com/opinions/elija… 1/x
And there's this: @politico "contacted the 17 House committees that unsuccessfully requested records or witnesses ... over the last two months. In most cases involving the White House itself ... the request was ignored altogether." politico.com/story/2019/03/… 2/x
The White House's consistent failure to respond to Congress's exercise of its oversight authority is stunning. Simply stunning. 3/x
Congress's power to investigate has deep roots in our political tradition, and is embedded in our national charter. Since the Framing (& even before), it is has been clear that the legislature's ability to investigate the executive is a critical check on abuses of power. 4/x
Want to learn more about this rich history underlying congressional oversight? Check out the @MyConstitution issue brief on the historical & legal bases for congressional oversight authority theusconstitution.org/wp-content/upl… 5/x 
You don't need to take my word on it. This is what #SCOTUS has had to say: "The power of the Congress to conduct investigations is inherent in the legislative process," and "[t]hat power is broad." theusconstitution.org/wp-content/upl… 6/x
And yet the White House is ignoring these requests. And @realDonaldTrump is claiming that this is just "[p]residential [h]arassment." As @RepCummings points out, This is not normal. washingtonpost.com/opinions/elija… 7/x
And this response to Congress's exercise of its oversight authority is just as much an abuse of power as so many of the others we've seen from this Administration. 8/x
The White House's response to these exercises of Congress's oversight authority also raises the very obvious question: what is @realDonaldTrump trying to hide? 9/x
Fortunately for Congress--& for the American people--the Constitution & decades of legal precedent are all on Congress's side. So @realDonaldTrump can complain & his White House can try to delay, but in the end, Congress should get the information it's seeking. 10/x
Congressional oversight is an essential part of our nation's system of checks-and-balances. And the need for vigorous oversight to check presidential abuses is more important now than ever. 11/11
