Trump Claims Absolute Immunity from Congressional Oversight

The Trump administration claimed ‘absolute immunity’ to block all congressional oversight, with White House Counsel Pat Cipollone declaring Congress had no ’legitimate legislative purpose’ for investigations. Don McGahn defied House subpoenas despite federal judges ruling presidents ‘are not kings.’ John Bolton, Mike Pompeo, Mick Mulvaney, and dozens of officials refused to testify about Ukraine, Russia, and other scandals. The administration blocked all document requests, instructing the entire executive branch not to cooperate with impeachment proceedings. Trump sued his own accounting firm and banks to prevent them from complying with congressional subpoenas. Federal courts repeatedly ruled against these claims, with Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson writing that ‘absolute immunity from compelled congressional testimony simply does not exist.’ This unprecedented stonewalling prevented Congress from fulfilling its constitutional oversight role, establishing a dangerous precedent that the executive branch could simply ignore legislative branch authority.