The investigating House panel received a letter from Peter Navarro, a former White House trade advisor who tussled with scientists over the government's response to the coronaviruses epidemic.
The former president ordered him not to comply with inquiries from the panel regarding the Trump administration's response to the flu, according to the correspondence.
I am unable to respond to the Subpoena until the scope of the privilege is negotiated or negotiated.
According to The Washington Post, the clash with Navarro is the first time that a witness has rejected a subpoena.
The House Democrats made public their letter asking the former advisor to appear for a deposition on Wednesday, after they disclosed the response to their subpoena.
The subcommittee is looking into whether Trump officials interfered with the scientific findings.
Clyburn, the House majority whip and chairman of the subcommittee, sent a response.
He wrote that the blanket refusal to comply with the subpoena is improper. White House advisers can't avoid congressional process. The records and information that you have are important to the investigations.
He said that your refusal to comply was particularly indefensible given that you disclosed many details about your work in the White House, including conversations with the former President. The Select Subcommittee expects you to produce all responsive records and information in your possession and to appear for a deposition on December 15.
If you ignore a subpoena, you can put a potential witness in contempt of Congress, which can result in increased financial penalties and even jail time.
House Democrats could push for a vote to hold Navarro in contempt for not appearing before the panel.
In November, former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon was held in contempt for refusing to comply with a subpoena.
After being indicted on two counts of contempt of Congress, Bannon turned himself in to law enforcement.
In his letter to Clyburn, the former advisor claims that he didn't have access to documents from his government-issued account.
During his time in the administration, he advised Trump on a number of economic issues.
The individuals who had contracted COVID-19 should take the drug hydroxychloroquine, which is a new drug for treating the disease.
The former advisor warned in a January memo that the coronaviruses could cause half a million deaths in the US.
The coronaviruses has killed more than 807,000 people in the US, with nearly 50 million confirmed cases.
