WATCH: Grassley says committee might not subpoena Manafort pending Mueller charges
The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Wednesday it may not be “worth issuing subpoenas” to President Trump’s former campaign chairman if special counsel Robert Mueller indicts him first.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) noted that he does not have first hand knowledge of an impending indictment for Paul Manafort, only “what I saw on your channe or somebody else’s channel,” directing his answer at congressional reporters and producers outside the Judiciary Committee.
The Judiciary Committee wants Manafort to testify publicly and leadership warned in July they would subpoena him if he does not comply.
“I don’t know whether it’s worth issuing subpoenas when somebody’s been indicted, if there’s any value in that, if you get any outcome out of it,” Grassley said, responding to a CNN reporter’s question.
Grassley added that the committee has “tried to talk to Manafort’s lawyers for weeks and we don’t get a phone call returned, that would mandate that we have a subpoena.”
Manafort was allegedly present during a meeting last year between Trump campaign officials and a woman that represented herself as a Russian government lawyer offering damaging information on then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
Mueller, who is investigating Russian involvement in the 2016 election, is looking at Manafort for alleged crimes that took place as far back as 11 years ago, according to recent reports. The FBI raided Manafort’s home in July. The New York Times reported Monday that Mueller’s team warned Manafort to expect an indictment. It is not clear what the charges would be.
Grassley said he “can’t answer” whether a subpoena would be warranted.
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