
Washington - U.S. Justice Department lawyers asked a judge on Tuesday to put on hold a ruling that would require former White House Counsel Don McGahn to comply with a congressional subpoena to testify in a legal battle that could have implications for the Democratic-led impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump.
The Trump administration's court filing asked for the delay while it pursues an appeal a day after U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson rejected its legal claim that current and former senior White House officials cannot be compelled to testify before Congress.
The administration has not only blocked officials from testifying to lawmakers but has refused to provide requested documents to Democratic congressional investigators on a wide range of topics, claiming broad immunity.
Trump, writing on Twitter, said he would "love" to let top officials testify, but added, "It is a Democrat Scam that is going nowhere but, future Presidents should in no way be compromised."
The Justice Department, representing McGahn in his former official capacity, said in a court filing that the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, which is seeking the testimony, has agreed to a seven-day temporary delay. If the judge does not immediately impose that delay, McGahn would file an emergency application at the federal appeals court in Washington on Wednesday, the administration lawyers said.