Congress

White House Concedes On Ex-Security Director's Testimony To Congress

Former Personnel Security Director Carl Kline will appear before the House oversight committee after being threatened with a contempt charge.

White House Concedes On Ex-Security Director's Testimony To Congress
Getty Images
SMS

The Trump administration says a former White House personnel security director will testify before the House Oversight and Reform Committee — a concession amid recent tensions between House Democrats and the president. 

Carl Kline's testimony has been a subject of contention in Washington. The former security official was first subpoenaed after Tricia Newbold, a former White House staffer, accused him of improperly granting security access to the president's son-in-law, among others.

She said senior adviser Jared Kushner was among two dozen denials later overturned by President Trump and that Congress was her last hope in addressing the issue.  

Kline skipped his first appearance at the behest of the White House, which has been blocking some congressional inquiries since Democrats took control of the House. That led House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings to announce he'd vote to hold Kline in contempt for ignoring a legally mandated appearance.

Now, days later, the White House has walked back its previous stance — saying Kline will appear before the committee as long as his testimony is limited to "policy and practices." Kline's appearance is set for Wednesday. 

Additional reporting by Newsy affiliate CNN.