House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa said Tuesday he may use “compulsory processes,” which includes subpoenas, to get the information he sought from the Obama administration about the Occupy DC protests after administration officials failed to meet an earlier deadline.
The Interior Department and White House had until Jan. 3 to turn over all documents related to the Occupy protest, but failed to do so, Issa, R-Calif., noted in another letter sent Tuesday.
Issa is questioning whether political considerations influenced Interior’s decision to allow protesters to remain in McPherson Square without a permit and even though camping there is illegal.
In a Jan. 6 Interior Department letter to Issa, obtained by The Washington Examiner, administration officials defended their handling of Occupy as “proactive, reasoned and measured.” The department considers the Occupy camp a “24-hour vigil,” an allowable ongoing protest.
– Aubrey Whelan
