An exasperated federal judge ordered the Democratic National Committee Friday to require missing party fund-raiser John Huang to report for work on Monday so that U.S. marshals can serve him with a subpoena.
Huang's lawyer, John C. Keeney Jr., told the court that Huang won't be available to testify in a civil suit until Nov. 6, the day after the election.The suit brought by Judicial Watch Inc., a conservative advocacy group, has received heightened attention because of a recent furor over big political contributions linked to foreign and other controversial sources. The Democratic committee has returned some of the contested donations solicited by Huang, who raised an estimated $4 million to $5 million for the Democrats from Asian-Americans this year.
Huang "can make it easier or he can make it harder," said U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth. "He has decided to make it harder."
Keeney responded that Huang "is standing on his legal rights. They have to find him, they have to serve him." Keeney said federal court rules prevent the judge from ordering him to disclose Huang's whereabouts because that would violate his right to privacy. Lamberth said he would hear arguments on that point later Friday.
At one point Lamberth said to Keeney, "How can the court sit here and have you dictate to me? You are not going to dictate to the court."
Huang worked for the DNC after leaving a high-ranking job at the Commerce Department in January. Lawyers for both Huang and the DNC said they had only an address in Silver Spring, Md., for him and that he was not reached there.
Lamberth told the DNC's lawyer to ask the Democratic Party chairman to send a letter to Huang Friday afternoon to have him report to work Monday. "The marshal can serve him at work on Monday," Lamberth said.
Keeney told the court Huang was out of town and planned to return to Washington next week. He would not disclose in open court either Huang's whereabouts or the purpose of his trip.