House Oversight threatens to subpoena Sessions over officials’ travel

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is threatening to issue a subpoena if Attorney General Jeff SessionsJefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsIntel leaders: Collusion still open part of investigation Republicans jockey for position on immigration Biden to Alabama: No more extremist senators MORE does not provide information about Trump administration officials’ use of private aircraft.

Committee Chairman Trey GowdyTrey GowdyCummings demands documents about Conway’s flights with Price Dems call for ’emergency’ hearing on Trump’s hurricane response Democrats unveil bills to ban Cabinet members’ private jet travel MORE (R-S.C.) and Rep. Elijah CummingsElijah Eugene CummingsMich. governor stands by Flint health crisis testimony Cummings: Voter fraud commission will ‘suppress the vote’ House Dems call for Kobach’s removal from voter fraud commission MORE (Md.), the panel’s top Democrat, said they had not received “sufficient communication” from the Justice Department in response to their inquiry.

Gowdy and Cummings had asked Sessions in a Sept. 26 letter to provide information about officials’ use of government-owned or noncommercial aircraft by Oct. 10. They made the same inquiries for documents concerning senior officials’ travel practices from the White House and 23 other federal agencies.

The Oversight Committee leaders cited rules stating that federal workers’ official travel must be “by the most expeditious means of transportation practicable” and “commensurate with the nature and purpose of the [employees’] duties.”

The September request came days before Tom PriceThomas (Tom) Edmunds PriceZinke under federal investigation for speech to NHL team: report Overnight Health Care: Schumer calls for tying ObamaCare fix to children’s health insurance | Puerto Rico’s water woes worsen | Dems plead for nursing home residents’ right to sue Senate confirms No. 2 spot at HHS, days after Price resigns MORE resigned as secretary of Health and Human Services following a series of Politico reports detailing his use of private jets over cheaper, noncommercial alternatives. Politico estimated that Price’s travel habits cost taxpayers at least $400,000.

In a follow-up letter to Sessions made public on Wednesday, Gowdy and Cummings asked for documentation of administration officials’ travel practices since the start of 2017, as well as after Trump took office on Jan. 20 as they originally requested.

They said their request “is necessary to assess the frequency and nature of this issue to help determine whether new policies or regulations need to be enacted or perhaps to even change the nature of appropriations to your department.”

The two lawmakers asked that Justice Department staff provide Oversight Committee staff with an update if they cannot provide the originally requested documents by Oct. 24. If Sessions doesn’t comply with the request or “satisfactorily provided a good faith commitment for complying in full” by Oct. 31, they wrote, “the Chairman intends to issue a subpoena for the materials.”

Treasury Secretary Steven MnuchinSteven Terner MnuchinDeficit hawks voice worry over direction of tax plan GOP eyes limits on investor tax break Overnight Finance: White House requests B for disaster relief | Ex-Equifax chief grilled over stock sales | House panel approves B for border wall | Tax plan puts swing-state Republicans in tough spot MORE and EPA Administrator Scott PruittEdward (Scott) Scott PruittZinke under federal investigation for speech to NHL team: report Overnight Regulation: Senate panel approves driverless car bill | House bill to change joint-employer rule advances | Treasury to withdraw proposed estate tax rule | Feds delaying Obama methane leak rule Overnight Energy: Dems take on Trump’s chemical safety pick MORE have also come under scrutiny for their travel habits.

Mnuchin faced questions for making a request, which was later withdrawn, to use a government plane on his honeymoon to Europe. Another flight Mnuchin took on a government plane to Kentucky in August, where he reportedly watched the solar eclipse, has come under scrutiny.

CBS News reported that Pruitt also used military and private aircraft for official business.