House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) looks at a document as the House Judiciary Committee meets to to vote on holding Attorney General William Barr in contempt over his refusal to comply with a subpoena seeking an unredacted version of the Mueller report.on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 8, 2019. REUTERS/Leah Millis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler said on Tuesday he was willing to go to court to force former White House counsel Don McGahn to testify at a hearing on the federal investigation into Russian election interference.

“Our subpoenas are not optional,” Nadler, a Democrat, said at the start of the hearing that the Trump administration directed McGahn to skip.

“Let me be clear: this committee will hear Mr. McGahn’s testimony, even if we have to go to court to secure it,” Nadler added. “We will not allow the President to prevent the American people from hearing from this witness.”