The White House says it will not be cooperating with Nancy Pelosi’s impeachment inquiry and instead dared House Democrats to hold a full impeachment vote in a letter sent to Democratic leadership.
It sets President Trump on a constitutional collision course with Congress, as officials accused Democrats of a “political strategy” of trying to overturn the results of the 2016 presidential election and to influence the outcome of the 2020 campaign.
“Your unprecedented actions have left the president with no choice,” wrote Pat Cipollone, White House counsel. “In order to fulfill his duties to the American people, the Constitution, the Executive Branch and all future occupants of the Office of the Presidency, President Trump and his administration cannot participate in your partisan and unconstitutional inquiry under these circumstances.”
The letter was released on Tuesday evening, hours after the Trump administration prevented a key witness in the Ukraine scandal from appearing before Congress.
Cipollone said it was unprecedented for Congress to embark on an impeachment inquiry without a vote in the House.
“In addition, the House has not provided the committees’ ranking members with the authority to issue subpoenas,” he wrote. “The right of the minority to issue subpoenas-subject to the same rules as the majority-has been the standard, bipartisan practice in all recent resolutions authorizing presidential impeachment inquiries.”
As such, the inquiry would not allow the president to get a fair hearing.
A senior administration official added that the letter indicated that no other officials would be allowed to testify.
The eight-page letter also argues that the president’s call to the Ukrainian president on July 25, which triggered a whistleblower’s complaint, contained nothing contentious.
“Perhaps the best evidence that there was no wrongdoing on the call is the fact that, after the actual record of the call was released, Chairman Schiff chose to concoct a false version of the call and to read his made-up transcript to the American people at a public hearing,” it said.
Stephanie Grisham, White House press secretary, said the executive branch could not be expected to participate in what she described as “partisan political theater.”
“These partisan proceedings are an affront to the constitution—as they are being held behind closed doors and deny the president the right to call witnesses, to cross-examine witnesses, to have access to evidence, and many other basic rights,” she said.
