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Congressional Democrats unable to get subpoena for Snyder documents

steve carmody
/
Michigan Radio
Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) speaking at a news conference in Flint (file photo)

Democrats tried and failed today to get a congressional committee to subpoena documents from Michigan Governor Rick Snyder related to the Flint water crisis.

Questions have been raised about when Snyder learned of a deadly Legionnaires; disease outbreak.

Last year, the governor testified before the House Oversight Committee on the Flint water crisis. Among other things, Snyder told the committee he learned of the outbreak in January 2016. But recently, a top aide to the governor testified he told Snyder about the outbreak in December 2015, nearly a full month earlier.  

U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland, wants more information from Snyder. But committee chairman  Trey Gowdy, R-South Carolina, did not include the request for subpoenas against Snyder and members of the Trump administration on the committee’s agenda.   

That drew a rebuke from Cummings during today’s committee meeting.

“The chairman did again to ask the governor to explain the discrepancies in his testimony to our committee,” Cummings said of his request. “But he declined to join us in obtaining documents that would show if he was telling the truth.”

Snyder says he stands by his testimony.   

Steve Carmody has been a reporter for Michigan Public since 2005. Steve previously worked at public radio and television stations in Florida, Oklahoma and Kentucky, and also has extensive experience in commercial broadcasting.