President Trump claimed that he would “love” to have Cabinet members testify in impeachment hearings but said he is trying to prevent future presidents from being “compromised.”
Trump made the statement in a Twitter thread on Tuesday. The remarks come a day after a federal judge ruled that former White House counsel Don McGahn must testify before Congress in House Democrats’ impeachment process looking into whether the president attempted a quid pro quo to get Ukraine to investigate 2020 Democratic front-runner and former Vice President Joe Biden.
Trump claimed he would like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former Energy Secretary Rick Perry, acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, and others to testify in the impeachment hearings, but he doesn’t want to set a precedent for future presidents.
“The D.C. Wolves and Fake News Media are reading far too much into people being forced by Courts to testify before Congress,” Trump said. “I am fighting for future Presidents and the Office of the President. Other than that, I would actually like people to testify.”
He continued, “Don McGahn’s respected lawyer has already stated that I did nothing wrong. John Bolton is a patriot and may know that I held back the money from Ukraine because it is considered a corrupt country, & I wanted to know why nearby European countries weren’t putting up money also.”
The president went on to address current administration officials, saying, “Likewise, I would love to have Mike Pompeo, Rick Perry, Mick Mulvaney and many others testify about the phony Impeachment Hoax. It is a Democrat Scam that is going nowhere but, future Presidents should in no way be compromised. What has happened to me should never happen to another President!”
[Related: Dershowitz: McGahn ruling will have ‘no big impact’ on impeachment process]
The D.C. Wolves and Fake News Media are reading far too much into people being forced by Courts to testify before Congress. I am fighting for future Presidents and the Office of the President. Other than that, I would actually like people to testify. Don McGahn’s respected….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2019
…love to have Mike Pompeo, Rick Perry, Mick Mulvaney and many others testify about the phony Impeachment Hoax. It is a Democrat Scam that is going nowhere but, future Presidents should in no way be compromised. What has happened to me should never happen to another President!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2019
Monday’s ruling by U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is a blow to the White House, which has used an “absolute immunity” argument to prevent McGahn and other former officials from testifying before Congress.
Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec told the Washington Examiner that Jackson’s decision would be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
