- The White House told House Democrats on Tuesday that President Donald Trump “cannot permit his administration” to cooperate with their impeachment inquiry.
- In a letter sent to the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the three committee chairmen conducting the investigation, White House Counsel Pat Cipollone said the Trump administration wouldn’t cooperate because it sees the process as being constitutionally invalid.
- “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 said.
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The White House told House Democrats on Tuesday it will not cooperate with them as they conduct an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, setting the stage for a momentous constitutional clash between the legislative and executive branches.
White House Counsel Pat Cipollone said in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the chairmen of the three House committees spearheading the probe that Trump and his administration will not cooperate with the investigation because it views it as “partisan and unconstitutional.”
“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 said.
The move comes as Trump continues lashing out at congressional Democrats, accusing them of trying to launch a “coup” to overthrow his presidency.
At the heart of the impeachment inquiry is a July 25 phone call Trump had with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during which he repeatedly pressured Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son for corruption. Biden is a 2020 Democratic frontrunner and one of Trump’s chief political rivals.
The phone call is the subject of an explosive whistleblower complaint that a US intelligence official filed against the president in August. In addition to accusing Trump of abusing his power and violating federal law, it says Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, is a “central figure” in Trump’s effort and that Attorney General William Barr “appears to be involved as well.”
Trump and his allies have attacked the whistleblower, suggesting the individual is disloyal to the US and committed espionage against Trump, despite the fact that they followed the law when filing their complaint. The president has also repeatedly called for the whistleblower’s identity to become public.
A White House summary of the call confirms the main details of the complaint, and Trump’s handpicked spy chief testified to Congress that the complaint is “in alignment” with the memo.
The intelligence community watchdog, moreover, deemed the complaint to be “urgent” and “credible.” Last week, Trump confirmed the complaint’s central allegation — that he wanted a foreign government to investigate a political opponent — when he publicly called for both Ukraine and China to look into the Bidens.
This post will be updated.
