House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., on Tuesday defended his decision to let his staff work on President Trump’s executive order on immigration and refugees.
“My staff on the House Judiciary Committee are some of the best on Capitol Hill. They are experts in their respective fields and I proudly allowed them to provide their expertise to the Trump transition team on immigration law,” Goodlatte said in a statement.
Goodlatte insisted that they only “gave advice” to the Trump administration and “did not have decision making authority on the policy.”
“My staff had no control of the language contained in the president’s executive order,” Goodlatte said, adding that he supports the executive order.
Politico reported that Goodlatte staffers helped the Trump administration write the executive order, but did not tell their boss or other Republican lawmakers. According to sources, the staffers signed nondisclosure agreements to work the Trump’s team, which would have prevented them from telling Goodlatte or other GOP leaders.
