Panel will vote on subpoenas for Kushner and Sessions

WASHINGTON — The House Judiciary Committee is moving to authorize subpoenas for several people tied to special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, including President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

The resolution coming up for a vote Thursday would authorize subpoenas for documents and testimony from 12 people in all, including former national security adviser Michael Flynn, former White House chief of staff John Kelly and former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

Lawmakers will also be voting on subpoenas for documents and testimony on the Trump administration’s handling of immigration, including the abandoned “zero tolerance” approach of separating migrant families at the southern border. The resolution authorizes an investigation into whether there have been any discussions of Trump offering pardons to Homeland Security officials who work on immigration issues.

Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., will make the final decision about issuing the subpoenas. He said they can be avoided if the information is provided voluntarily.

The Judiciary panel is investigating whether Trump obstructed justice after Mueller’s report detailed several episodes in which Trump tried to influence his investigation. Mueller said he could not exonerate Trump on obstruction and indicated in a May news conference that it was up to Congress to decide what to do with his findings. Mueller is scheduled to testify to Congress next week.

Democrats have had little luck so far in their attempts to investigate beyond what Mueller detailed in his 448-page report, as the White House has blocked several witnesses from answering questions. It’s unclear if they would have better luck with the latest group of witnesses, as most worked for the White House or the administration.

Still, Democrats say they will call in the witnesses as they attempt to keep public attention on Mueller’s report. And Nadler has said the panel is preparing a lawsuit to challenge the efforts to block testimony.

Among the other subpoena targets are Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s former campaign manager; Jody Hunt, Sessions’ former chief of staff, and former White House aides Rob Porter and Rick Dearborn.