To the editor: On Tuesday, Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) subpoenaed former White House security director Carl Kline to testify before the House Oversight and Reform Committee. Kline already agreed to testify voluntarily prior to the subpoena’s issuance. The chairman’s subpoena is completely misguided.

At our first meeting this year, Cummings complained about former Oversight Committee chairmen subpoenaing witnesses who agreed to testify voluntarily. He assured us his chairmanship would be “better than that.”

The latest subpoena is nothing more than another partisan attack against the president. It’s an excuse to go fishing through the personal files of dedicated public servants.

Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation was not the bombshell the Democrats hoped for. So, Cummings must “reset” his strategy to take down the president.


Cummings promised the truth. He promised to hold President Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen accountable if he lied to the committee (which it appears he did). He promised a fair and constructive subpoena process.

This isn’t how we’re supposed to conduct investigations.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio)

The writer is the ranking Republican on the House Oversight and Reform Committee.


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