Nadler Intends to Subpoena Barr Over Firing of US Attorney in New York

New Bank of Canada Governor Says COVID-19 Will Leave Lasting Changes on Economy

OTTAWA—Canada’s top central banker says there will be long-term economic damage from the COVID-19 pandemic as the country charts a “prolonged and bumpy” course to recovery. In his first speech as governor, Tiff Macklem says the central bank expects to see growth in the third quarter of this year as people are called back to work and households resume some of their normal activities as restrictions ease. But he warns that Canadians shouldn’t expect the short and sharp economic bounce-back expected over the coming months to last. The combination of uneven reopenings across provinces and industries, the unknown course of consumer confidence, and unemployment rates will “likely inflict some lasting damage to demand and supply,” Macklem says in a speech Monday. He said ongoing physical distancing rules may mean workplaces can’t…

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) intends to subpoena Attorney General William Barr over the controversial dismissal of a Manhattan U.S. attorney, according to a ranking member of the panel.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) stated in a letter that Nadler is preparing to issue a subpoena to compel Barr’s testimony at a July 2 committee hearing if the attorney general does not come forward to testify voluntarily.

Daniel Schwarz, a spokesman for Nadler, confirmed to Axios that the committee wants Barr to testify and plans to issue a supboena if the attorney general refuses.

Nadler himself said during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Rachel Maddow Show:” “We have begun the process to issue that subpoena. It is very much true. We are doing that.”

Republicans on the committee pushed back against the subpoena, arguing in the letter that “there is no legitimate basis for you to compel his testimony at this time.”

Jordan, a ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, explained in the letter that Barr earlier expressed willingness to give testimony and that the attorney general still “remains willing to testify voluntarily once the pandemic concludes.”

The Department of Justice originally agreed to let Barr to testify before the committee on March 31 but that hearing was put off because of the pandemic.

He called Nadler’s plans to issue a subpoena part of “an odd and decidedly partisan posture toward Attorney General Barr ever since his confirmation.” The Republicans on the committee said in a statement on Twitter that “by rushing to a subpoena, Chairman Nadler is needlessly choosing confrontation over cooperation.”

Democrat staffers on the House judiciary committee held a conference call Monday and discussed the subpoena, The Hill reported, citing a source on the call. The source indicated Democrats expect Barr to ignore the subpoena.

The threat of a subpoena comes after the firing of U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) Geoffrey Berman, who initially resisted calls for his resignation, before conceding to his removal after the attorney general invoked the authority of President Donald Trump.

Berman’s dismissal sparked controversy because the SDNY, under his leadership, oversaw the prosecution of Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, and indicted two associates of Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal attorney. Critics have accused Barr, who heads the Justice Department, of partisanship in Berman’s dismissal.

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman at a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington on Oct. 26, 2018. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)

Shortly after Berman’s firing, Nadler said his committee would launch an investigation into the matter, claiming Barr “certainly deserves” to be impeached but would probably escape such a fate because the Republican-controlled Senate would be unlikely to remove him from office.

Deputy U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss is expected to remain Berman’s acting successor until the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Jay Clayton, is installed as the new head of SDNY.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a briefing Monday that Berman’s firing was not connected with his investigations into and prosecutions of several Trump associates.

“No investigation will be affected by this, as was made clear by Attorney General Barr,” McEnany told reporters.

Focus News: Nadler Intends to Subpoena Barr Over Firing of US Attorney in New York

Germany Condemns Weekend Violence, Looting in Stuttgart

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the country’s top security official on June 22 decried an outburst of violence at the weekend in the southwestern city of Stuttgart, where hundreds of people attacked stores, vehicles, and police officers following a stop-and-search for drugs. Authorities say 24 people were arrested over Saturday night’s unrest and 19 police officers were injured. Merkel’s spokesman said the scenes “were abhorrent and must be strongly condemned.” “Anyone who takes part in such outbreaks of violence, brutally attacks police officers, and destroys and plunders shops cannot in any way justify it,” Steffen Seibert said Monday. Seibert thanked police officers nationwide, saying they “should know that the German government and millions of people stand behind you.” Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, who called for “swift and tough” punishment of…