White House Says It Won’t Cooperate With Impeachment Inquiry - Do You Support the Move?
Should the White House refuse to comply with the impeachment inquiry?
by Countable's Trump Impeachment Coverage | 10.8.19
What’s the story?
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The White House has officially announced it will refuse to cooperate with the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump.
- In an eight-page letter sent to Democratic congressional leaders, White House counsel Pat Cipollone mocked the process as “baseless” and “constitutionally invalid.”
- “You have designed and implemented your inquiry in a manner that violates fundamental fairness and constitutionally mandated due process,” the White House counsel declared.
- He added:
“Put simply, you seek to overturn the results of the 2016 election and deprive the American people of the President they have freely chosen.”
- The White House has repeatedly said it would not comply with an impeachment probe until House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) holds a formal vote on the inquiry. The Constitution and House rules do not explicitly require that the lower chamber adopt a resolution formally authorizing an impeachment inquiry.
Other key quotes from the letter:
- "Given that your inquiry lacks any legitimate constitutional foundation, any pretense of fairness, or even the most elementary due process protections, the executive branch cannot be expected to participate in it," Cipollone wrote.
- "Because participating in this inquiry under the current unconstitutional posture would inflict lasting institutional harm on the executive branch and lasting damage to the separation of powers, you have left the president no choice."
- “For these reasons, President Trump and his Administration reject your baseless, unconstitutional efforts to overturn the democratic process. Your unprecedented actions have left the President with no choice. 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.
Read the full letter here
What do you think?
Do you agree with the White House refusing to cooperate with the impeachment inquiry? Should the House formally declare a probe? Take action above and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.
—Josh Herman
