Trump admin blames shutdown for 'slow roll' on House oversight

[DonViejo]

Many White House staffers who deal with document and email requests from Democratic committees were furloughed, but some members of Congress are suspicious of the excuses.

By ANITA KUMAR 01/29/2019 05:01 AM EST

The Trump administration has tried to delay answering some unwelcome questions from eager House investigators — and it says the just-ended government shutdown is to blame.

The 35-day partial shutdown depleted the White House’s staff, furloughing many lower-level employees who help with requests. They include legal assistants who compile documents and IT workers who search vast email archives. Senior aides who remained at work during the standoff with Congress were overwhelmed with other priorities and unable to pick up the slack, according to people familiar with the situation.

And because of the staff furloughs, lawyers and officials involved in the White House’s legislative affairs office — which handles much of the oversight response load — were forced to take turns at their desks, working a few days at a time before being sent home.

The shutdown also slowed down work at many of the Trump departments and agencies from which Congressional Democrats are demanding documents, email and testimony. The White House typically reviews all oversight requests sent to federal departments and agencies.

Perhaps the clearest evidence of the shutdown’s impact on the administration’s oversight compliance came in a Jan. 11 letter from the Department of Homeland Security to the House Committee on Homeland Security. The letter, sent by the department’s assistant secretary for legislative affairs and obtained by POLITICO, explained that “the furlough has greatly limited our response to inquiries” about the separation of migrant families at the southern border. It added that the department “will respond more thoroughly as soon as possible.”

more
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/29/trump-investigations-democrats-congress-shutdown-1133202