1 / 2Harris FOIA RequestIn this Oct. 15, 2019, photo, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., speaks in a Democratic presidential primary debate at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio. Harris and two of her Democratic Senate colleagues are trying to force the Trump administration to release documents related to the Ukraine investigation through the federal Freedom of Information Act.
The request comes as the U.S. House of Representatives seeks its own information via its impeachment inquiry into Trump. The Trump administration routinely ignores requests from Congress for documents and witnesses, including from Democrats in the House who have subpoena power. But requests via the Freedom of Information Act can take months or even years to fulfill, meaning it's unlikely the senators will get documents soon, said Thomas Blanton, director of the National Security Archive and an expert in the Freedom of Information Act. He said Congress has a history of using the law to try to pry loose documents from the executive branch. The law also is frequently used by journalists.
She and four other senators seeking the Democratic nomination could be pulled away from the campaign trail if impeachment reaches a Senate trial. The others are Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Cory Booker of New Jersey.