Commanders Dan Snyder will not testify before US House committee, new letter reiterates

WASHINGTON - A new letter from the legal group representing Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder to the leaders of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform makes it clear that Snyder will not be testifying at the June 22 hearing as part of an investigation into the team's workplace conduct.

The new letter dated June 20 was obtained by FOX 5 and was written by Snyder's attorney, Karen Patton Seymour.

In the letter, Seymour explains the reasons why Snyder is declining the invitation. Seymour says her requests for "basic information and materials regarding the Committee's inquiry," was declined.

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"With respect to a request that the Committee often grants for other witnesses - a copy of the documents the Committee intends to use in questioning - the Committee stated in its June 17 letter that the only documents that it is willing to share in advance are those that the Commanders have already produced in connection with this inquiry," Seymour wrote in the new letter.

Seymour said Snyder has long been scheduled out of the country on June 22 and that the Committee refuses to consider another date.

"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, a basic right that is particularly important in light of pending investigations into matters that are substantially similar to those identified by the Committee," Seymour wrote.

"As stated in my prior letters, 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," Seymour concluded.

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In response, a Committee spokesperson shared this statement with FOX 5:

"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. 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."