WASHINGTON – The attorney for Dan Snyder told the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Wednesday there is no reason for the owner of the Washington Commanders to testify under subpoena for the congressional investigation into the NFL team’s workplace culture.
Snyder's attorney, Karen Patton Seymour, sent a letter to committee chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney confirming her client would participate virtually in the July 28 session from Israel while on a planned family trip.
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Patton Seymour, however, declined to accept the conditions of the subpoena. She argued in her letter it is not valid since the committee previously invited Snyder to participate voluntarily.
“We are confident that Mr. Snyder will able to provide full and complete testimony during his voluntary appearance,” Patton Seymour wrote.
The committee on Tuesday accepted the Snyder camp's request to testify remotely, under conditions laid out by the initial subpoena to ensure “full and complete” testimony. Snyder did not appear when first invited along with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who testified virtually June 22. His representation cited prior obligations and international travel among the reasons.
Patton Seymour accused the committee of disingenuously suggesting Snyder has previously refused to cooperate. His trip to Israel is in observance of the first anniversary of his mother's death. The committee received a letter from Snyder's mother's rabbi explaining the significance of the event, Patton Seymour wrote.
A message sent to a committee representative seeking comment was not immediately returned.
Congress launched an investigation into Washington's workplace culture last year after the league declined to release a report of its independent review into the organization. The Commanders were levied a $10 million fine.
The committee has since looked into accusations of pervasive sexual harassment of women who worked for the team by Snyder and other executives. The committee said Snyder conducted a “shadow investigation” that sought to discredit former employees making accusations of workplace sexual harassment, hired private investigators to intimidate witnesses, and used an overseas lawsuit as a pretext to obtain phone records and emails.
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