(Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th August, 2018) US Congressman Bob Goodlatte, chairman of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, must hold an emergency session to discuss possible abuse of the presidential pardon power and attacks on the Department of Justice (DOJ), 17 Democrats on the body wrote in a letter on Friday.
"HouseJudDems [House Judiciary Democrats] urge Rep. Goodlatte to hold emergency session to meet with DOJ� to discuss possible abuse of the pardon power and attacks on DOJ; and to take up bipartisan legislation to protect the Special Counsel," they said in the letter and in a Twitter message.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to five counts of tax evasion, one count of making a false statement to a bank and two campaign finance violations.
The lawmakers said they needed to discuss the implications of the guilty plea and how the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into Trump and his associates was proceeding.
"We urge you to hold immediate hearings on President Trumps dangerous attacks on the Department of Justice and the FBI� [and] we would again ask that our Committee hold hearings on the abuse of presidential pardon authority," the lawmakers wrote.
Representatives Jerrold Nadler of New York, Pramila Jayapal of Washington State, Hakeem Jeffries of New York and Luis Gutierrez of Illinois were among the signatories of the letter.
