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Biden says no ‘legal basis’ exists for the Senate to seek his testimony - The Boston Globe

posted onDecember 30, 2019
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Article snippet: IOWA CITY — Joe Biden, expanding on his remarks a day earlier that he would not comply with a subpoena to testify in President Trump’s impeachment trial in the Senate, wrote on Twitter on Saturday that there would not be “any legal basis” for such a subpoena. Speaking with reporters Saturday, Biden stopped short of vowing to fight a subpoena if one were ultimately issued. “I would honor whatever the Congress in fact legitimately asked me to do,” Biden said after a town-hall-style event in Tipton, Iowa. Asked if he would challenge a subpoena in court if he believed he had no facts to provide that would be relevant, he responded, “The answer is, I don’t think that’s going to happen to begin with. Let’s cross that bridge when it comes.” He added that he would abide by “whatever was legally required of me.” Even as he continued to make the case that he would not be a relevant witness for the trial, Biden made a point of noting his respect for the law. And in addressing the matter further, Biden faulted himself for drawing attention to how he could factor into an impeachment trial, despite his pleas to news media to focus on Trump and his behavior in office. Biden wrote on Twitter that over the course of his decades-long political career, he had “always complied with a lawful order,” and that in his two terms as vice president, his office had “cooperated with legitimate congressional oversight requests.” Biden’s further explanation Saturday began with a series of twe... Link to the full article to read more

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