POWER

Senate Intel Committee Gets ‘Blanket’ Subpoena Authority

Members vote unanimously to give chairman and vice chairman “blanket” subpoena power.

Members of the Senate Intelligence Committee voted on Thursday to give the panel’s chairman and vice chairman “blanket authority” to issue subpoenas as part of the committee’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. The unanimous vote, the committee said, gives Republican Chairman Richard Burr and Democratic Vice Chairman Mark Warner “blanket authority to issue subpoenas as they deem necessary.” The committee has issued document requests to multiple Trump associates, including Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, and Roger Stone. Flynn is invoking the 5th Amendment on the documents request, a move which spurred the committee to issue subpoenas to Flynn’s businesses.