WASHINGTON – A White House memo to congressional committees says no member of the administration’s coronavirus task force can agree to testify on Capitol Hill unless the invitation is expressly approved by the president’s chief of staff.
Democrats bristled at the rule as a crimp on their ability to gather detailed information about the nation’s response to the pandemic.
The memo follows a recent White House move to block Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, from testifying before a House panel while allowing him to appear the following week at a Senate hearing.
The Senate is held by Trump’s Republican allies while the House is controlled by Democrats. The memo, obtained Monday by The Associated Press, also seeks to