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A4 U.S. NEWS
Friday 19 January 2018

Executive privilege claims cloud Russia probe White House official says Trump

By TOM LoBIANCO to the forefront questions Lawmakers will be closely immigration views have evolved
ZEKE MILLER about White House ef- watching another inter- By ALAN FRAM
CHAD DAY, Associated forts to control what cur- view later this week to see ANDREW TAYLOR
Press rent and former aides may how the White House re- Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — or may not tell Congress sponds. Trump’s longtime WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s views
President Donald Trump’s about their time in Trump’s spokeswoman Hope Hicks on immigration and building a wall along the Mexico
White House is relying on a inner circle, and whether is to appear Friday for a border have evolved since his presidential campaign,
sweeping interpretation of Republicans who hold ma- closed-door interview with the White House chief of staff said Wednesday.
executive privilege that is jorities on Capitol Hill will the committee, according Those changes are giving some people hope that a
rankling members of Con- force the issue. It was also to a person familiar with the compromise with Congress on the thorny issue is possi-
gress on both sides of the the broadest example yet panel’s work. The person ble. But they are perplexing others — even as the clock
ticks down to a showdown.
John Kelly made the comments Wednesday at a
closed-door meeting with members of the Congres-
sional Hispanic Caucus, participants say, and made
similar remarks later on Fox News Channel. They came
amid a shaky effort to craft an accord protecting hun-
dreds of thousands of young immigrants from deporta-
tion — a push the White House and Republicans say
they would back if it’s coupled with tough border secu-
rity measures and other restrictions.
Kelly said on Fox that he told the Congressional Hispan-
ic Caucus that “they all say things during the course
of campaigns that may or may not be fully informed.”
He said Trump has “very definitely changed his atti-
tude” toward protecting the young immigrants, “and
even the wall, once we briefed him.”
“So he has evolved in the way he’s looked at things,”
Kelly said. “Campaign to governing are two different
things and this president has been very, very flexible in
terms of what is within the realms of the possible.”
Kelly’s comments were noteworthy because they
openly acknowledged the difference between cam-
paign promises and governing, and even suggested
that Trump needed to be educated on the subject.
Former White House strategist Steve Bannon leaves a House Intelligence Committee meeting where They also come as lawmakers struggle to reach a bi-
he was interviewed behind closed doors on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) partisan deal protecting “Dreamers” — around 800,000
people who arrived in the U.S. illegally as children and
could be deported without legal protections. Part of
aisle as current and former of the White House using spoke on condition of ano- negotiators’ problem has been uncertainty over what
advisers parade to Capitol executive privilege to limit nymity because the person Trump would accept.
Hill for questioning about a witness’ testimony with- wasn’t authorized to speak “He’s not yet indicated what measure he’s willing to
possible connections with out making a formal invo- publicly about the matter. sign,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.,
Russia. cation of that presidential The criticisms echoed those told reporters Wednesday. “As soon as we figure out
The White House’s conten- power. from last summer when At- what he is for, then I will be convinced that we would
tion: Pretty much every- On Wednesday, White torney General Jeff Sessions not just be spinning our wheels going to this issue on the
thing is off limits until the House officials said that baffled some lawmakers floor.” Some lawmakers who met with Kelly Wednesday
president says it’s not. the phone calls with the by refusing to answer ques- recalled his remarks differently.
The argument was laid counsel’s office were stan- tions about his conversa- “He specifically said that there’s some areas of the bor-
bare this week during for- dard procedure followed tions with the president, der that didn’t needs the wall, and that the president
mer White House chief by past administrations in while also maintaining he didn’t know that when he was making his campaign
strategist Steve Bannon’s dealings with Congress. was not citing executive promises,” Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., said in a brief
interview with the House They argued that Bannon, privilege. Following Ses- interview.
Intelligence Committee. As like every current and for- sions’ testimony before the Another lawmaker, Rep. Luis, Gutierrez, D-Ill., said Kelly
lawmakers in the closed- mer member of the admin- Senate Intelligence Com- told them that “there were statements made about
door session probed Ban- istration, starts under the mittee, Democratic Sen. the wall that were not informed statements. In other
non’s time working for assumption that he is cov- Sheldon Whitehouse said, words, I’ve informed the president of what it takes to
Trump, his attorney got on ered by executive privilege “As someone who served build a wall, so here’s how we’re going to do it. That’s
the phone with the White and can only answer cer- in the Justice Department, what I understood, and all of that was helpful.”
House counsel’s office, re- tain questions unless Trump I would love to know what Many Democrats have said that without an immigra-
laying questions and ask- explicitly says otherwise. he is talking about.” tion deal in sight, they’ll vote against a Republican bill
ing what Bannon could tell But members of Congress, Michael Dorf, a consti- preventing a weekend government shutdown. Con-
Congress, according to a including Republicans, criti- tutional law professor at gressional passage must come by Friday to prevent an
White House official and a cized the move. The House Cornell University, said that election-year shuttering of federal agencies that could
second person familiar with panel’s top Democrat while traditionally Congress be damaging to both parties.
the interview. called it effectively a “gag has required a formal asser- During his presidential campaign, Trump made it a
The answer was a broad order.” tion of executive privilege mantra to promise to build a “beautiful” wall that
one. Bannon couldn’t dis- The committee’s Repub- in order for a witness to re- would be paid for by Mexico.
cuss anything to do with lican chairman, Devin fuse to answer a question, Since then, White House officials have repeatedly said
his work on the presiden- Nunes of California, served more recently “we’ve seen it doesn’t have to be a concrete wall from coast to
tial transition or later in the a subpoena on Bannon in people just not answer coast but could include large stretches of fencing,
White House itself. an attempt to compel him questions without asserting technology or other systems. q
The development brought to answer. privilege.” q