Commanders owner Daniel Snyder again refuses to testify before Congress
Daniel Snyder is not budging.
The Washington Commanders owner again reiterated that he will not testify before Congress later this week despite another push from the House Oversight Committee to do so, his attorney said on Monday.
Snyder’s attorney, Karen Patton Seymour, cited a “longstanding Commanders-related business conflict” as the reason why Snyder can’t testify before the committee, as he’s out of the country through the end of the month. The committee has offered Snyder the chance to testify remotely at Wednesday’s hearing — which is what NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is planning to do — but he’s declined.
"Mr. Snyder's business conflict was scheduled long before then and cannot be rescheduled,” Seymour wrote to the committee, via ESPN. “Moreover, your letter's suggestion that Mr. Snyder may testify remotely does not address my concern that a virtual appearance would not sufficiently protect Mr. Snyder's interest in having his counsel physically present with him … The Snyders and the Team remain fully willing to cooperate with the Committee, and are eager to share the cultural transformation undertaken by the Commanders if the Committee is interested in obtaining that information in a manner consistent with appropriate due process and fairness protections."
The committee has been investigating claims of workplace misconduct and sexual harassment within the Commanders organization for months. The NFL fined the Commanders $10 million last summer after an investigation into the organization, too.
The committee pushed back after Seymour’s response on Monday. According to The Washington Post, the panel feels that Snyder’s testimony is essential and may end up issuing a subpoena to compel him to testify should he continue to decline their requests.
"If Mr. Snyder was truly committed to cooperating with the Committee's investigation, he would have accepted the Committee's invitation to testify about the Commanders' toxic workplace culture,” a committee spokesperson said in a statement, via ESPN. “As the Chairwoman's letter made clear, the Committee has been more than accommodating — even allowing Mr. Snyder to testify remotely from France.
“His refusal to testify sends an unmistakable signal that Mr. Snyder has something to hide and is afraid of coming clean to the American public and addressing major worker protection concerns facing the NFL. The Committee will not be deterred in its investigation to uncover the truth of workplace misconduct at the Washington Commanders.”
