Democrats hit snags in push to put witnesses like Michael Cohen, Steve Mnuchin and Alex Azar in hot seat

WASHINGTON – House Democrats had hoped to grill Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin Thursday about how taxpayers are being affected by the government shutdown. They wanted to put Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar in the hot seat over the administration’s policy of separating migrant families at the border. And they were gearing up to ask Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer and longtime fixer, about his dealings with Trump. But Democrats’ early efforts, after taking control of the House, to use their new investigative authority to hold high-profile hearings have hit a speed bump. All three requested witnesses declined to appear. Cohen has since been subpoenaed by the Senate Intelligence Committee, though it often conducts hearings behind closed doors. The heads of the House Intelligence and Oversight committees said Wednesday they’re still trying to get Cohen to testify. And the chairmen of the panels seeking to put Mnuchin and Azar under oath likewise said they haven’t given up. “We are going to get him here at some point one way or another,” Rep. Frank Pallone, the New Jersey Democrat who heads the House Energy and Commerce Committee said of Azar. Sarah Binder, a congressional expert at the Brookings… Read full this story

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