NPR

Trump Officials Say They Can't Recall Discussing Census Citizenship Question

As part of the lawsuits over the 2020 census citizenship question, officials who worked with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross had trouble answering inquiries about their roles.

In the lawsuits over the hotly contested 2020 census citizenship question, attorneys for the plaintiffs are facing a memory problem.

In recent weeks, Trump administration officials who worked with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to add the question, based on internal emails and memos released as part of the legal battle, have been facing hours of inquiry from the plaintiffs' attorneys.

During these depositions, two key Commerce officials testified they could not recall organizing meetings about or discussing the citizenship question — even after attorneys presented them with internal emails that appear to document their participation."I don't recall a conversation about it," said at the department on Aug. 21, 2017, according to a partial transcript of

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR2 min readCrime & Violence
Federal Prosecutors Request 40-year Sentence For Man Who Attacked Pelosi's Husband
Prosecutors are asking a judge to impose a 40-year prison sentence for the man who broke into ex-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's home seeking to hold her hostage and attacked her husband.
NPR4 min read
New 'Doctor Who' Star Ncuti Gatwa Feels 'Sad' For Critics Of Show's Diversity
Gatwa is the first Black man and the first person born outside the U.K. to play The Doctor. He's candid about how his own life has influenced his take on the role — and about his critics.
NPR11 min read
Kenya's Samburu Boys Share A Sacred Bond. Why One Teen Broke With The Brotherhood
After initiation rites – including circumcision – the boys leave their families to take charge of the herds, driving them high into the mountains. It's a way of life that climate change is testing.

Related Books & Audiobooks