And we all know what happens when Congress finds you in contempt, right? Nothing, absolutely nothing. However, the House is going to bark really loud, there will just be no bite, but House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) is making it known that holding ex-FBI lawyer Lisa Page in contempt of Congress is an option because of her failure to respond to the subpoena.
Rep. Ryan said, “I am very disturbed by this. Congressional subpoenas for testimony are not optional. ... She was a part of a mess that they have uncovered over at DOJ. She has an obligation to come testify.”
Of course, he's not as disturbed about his unconstitutional voting and spending, but I digress.
“If she wants to come plead the Fifth, that’s her choice," he added. "But a subpoena to testify before Congress is not optional. It’s mandatory. She needs to comply.”
First, Page is saying that she was not given the same treatment as other witnesses and not provided certain documents.
Her attorney, Amy Jeffress, said in a statement to CBS News' Paula Reid, "All she is asking is to be treated as other witnesses have under the Committees' own rules."
https://twitter.com/PaulaReidCBS/status/1016850634404966401
- PaulaReidCBS
Jeffress said she received a message from the Department of Justice on Tuesday night around 11 p.m. granting Page's request to review documents related to her testimony.
"I received a message from the Department of Justice after 11 pm last night that they have finally granted her request to review the relevant documents," Jeffress said. "We are working to arrange that process quickly so that we can move forward with her appearance before the Committees." She reiterated that "There is no basis for claims that Lisa has anything to hide or is unwilling to testify," and pointed out that Page has cooperated with multiple investigations and has provided "more than 36 hours of testimony" to the Justice Department inspector general.Several congressman disagreed with Page's attorney's claims.
Freedom Caucus chairman Mark Meadows (R-NC) tweeted, "Contrary to what her attorneys are telling the media, we just learned Lisa Page actually DID review documents at the FBI yesterday. Her failure to appear before Congress this morning had little to do with 'preparation'--and everything to do with avoiding accountability."
https://twitter.com/RepMarkMeadows/status/1017055354830704641
- RepMarkMeadows
Meadows followed up with saying Page's attorney could have simply made it short and sweet and said, " "We're choosing to ignore a Congressional subpoena."
https://twitter.com/RepMarkMeadows/status/1016859056152211456
- RepMarkMeadows
I think that is more than likely the case, as she has had months and months to prepare.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who came under attack for his questioning of Rod Rosenstein and his nephew was killed in an automobile accident just days later, tweeted, "Lisa Page ignores congressional subpoena, once again showing the double standard. One set of rules for regular Americans, a different set for the Swamp!"
https://twitter.com/Jim_Jordan/status/1016863141895004160
- Jim_Jordan
According to Politico, Jordan also was thinking of issuing another subpoena and possibly holding her in contempt.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) issued this statement on Page's failure to appear before the House Judiciary Committee:
“It appears that Lisa Page has something to hide. She plans to blatantly defy a congressional subpoena by refusing to appear for her deposition. She has known for months that the House Judiciary Committee has sought her testimony as part of our joint investigation with the Oversight Committee into decisions made by the Justice Department in 2016, and she has no excuse for her failure to appear. Lisa Page is a key witness, and it is critical that she come before our committees to answer questions as part of our investigation.“We will use all tools at our disposal to obtain her testimony. Americans across the country are alarmed at the bias exhibited by top officials at the Justice Department and FBI, and it is imperative Congress conduct vigorous oversight to ensure that never happens again.”
Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) tweeted, "Anti-Trump FBI lawyer Lisa Page is defying a congressional subpoena because she doesn’t want to answer questions or be held accountable. Pathetic."
https://twitter.com/RepDeSantis/status/1016855549399445504
- RepDeSantisUpon hearing the news, President Donald Trump tweeted out, "I am on Air Force One flying to NATO and hear reports that the FBI lovers, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page are getting cold feet on testifying about the Rigged Witch Hunt headed by 13 Angry Democrats and people that worked for Obama for 8 years. Total disgrace!"
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1016693575344504832
- realDonaldTrumpI'm curious, if you or I were subpoenaed and we just simply decided we didn't want to comply, if we would be allowed to walk around freely and just thumb our noses at it. Probably not, but then this demonstrates the kind of complicity that goes on among the party members in DC, doesn't it?
Like I've said all along, WWE, friends, WWE.