The White House notified the US House of Representatives that the Trump administration would not participate in what it is calling the Democrats’ “illegitimate” impeachment probe, paving the way for a constitutional clash with Congress.
In a letter sent to House leaders, Trump administration attorneys clearly stated their refusal to participate in the inquiry.
View the full letter here
The White House letter comes hours after the Trump administration blocked the US ambassador to the European Union from appearing before a congressional impeachment investigation.
The letter accused Democratic lawmakers of formulating their probe “in a manner that violates fundamental fairness and constitutionally mandated due process.”
“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,” White House Counsel Pat Cipollone wrote.
The inquiry is trying to find out if the president held back aid to Ukraine to push it to investigate Joe Biden, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination.
