Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder is set to appear before the House Oversight Committee on Thursday to give virtual testimony regarding allegations that the team fosters a toxic work environment.
The scheduled deposition comes after six weeks of negotiations as lawmakers have sought to question Snyder on the preliminary findings of their monthslong investigation into allegations of sexual harassment in the team’s workplace. Although the deposition has been scheduled — committee rules require a deposition notice three days before it plans to hold testimony — Snyder’s lawyers and lawmakers have not yet come to an agreement on whether he’ll appear or what the conditions of the meeting will be, according to a committee spokesperson.
What remains unclear is whether the interview will be conducted as voluntary testimony or if Snyder’s lawyers will agree to comply with a subpoena. If Snyder appears voluntarily before the committee, the Commanders owner will have the freedom to choose which questions he wants to answer, according to the Washington Post. But if he agrees to comply with a congressional subpoena, Snyder would be sworn under oath and required to answer lawmakers’ questions unless he had a Constitutional right to abstain from revealing certain information.
A spokesperson for the committee told the Washington Examiner that the conditions of the interview are still under negotiation.
HOUSE PANEL ACCEPTS WASHINGTON COMMANDERS OWNER’S REQUEST TO TESTIFY VIRTUALLY
Lawyers for the committee have been battling with Snyder over how he will give his testimony. Chairwoman Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) issued a subpoena compelling Snyder to testify in late June after the team owner declined to appear voluntarily. Snyder’s lawyers have refused to accept service of the subpoena, arguing there was no “valid basis” for one.
The House Oversight Committee initially requested testimony from Snyder and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in June regarding allegations of a toxic work environment perpetuated by Commanders executives. Goodell appeared before the committee on June 22 while Snyder refused, telling lawmakers he would be out of the country for an awards ceremony in France.
In response to Snyder’s refusal, in which he requested a delay so he could have more time to prepare and view key documents in advance, Maloney detailed several accommodations to convince him to testify. These included access to those documents and the ability for Snyder to appear virtually.
However, lawmakers maintained he could only receive those accommodations if he complied with the subpoena’s conditions “to ensure that Mr. Snyder’s testimony will be full and complete and will not be restricted in the way it would be if the deposition were conducted voluntarily,” according to a letter sent by Maloney in mid-July.
The investigation into allegations that the Commanders’ workplace tolerated misconduct against its employees was opened following a roundtable on Feb. 3, when several former employees detailed sexual harassment, abuse, and other workplace misconduct by top team officials, including Snyder.
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The hearing as scheduled will examine how the NFL handled allegations of sexual misconduct, the league’s role in establishing and enforcing standards for teams, and what legislative reforms are needed to address the problems. The interview is also expected to examine reports that Snyder opened a “shadow investigation” targeting former employees to discredit their allegations of sexual assault.
Snyder was fined $10 million by the NFL last year on charges that he maintained an unwelcome workplace.
A lawyer representing Snyder has not yet responded to a request for comment by the Washington Examiner.
