House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) responded Tuesday to President Donald Trump’s refusal to cooperate with an impeachment inquiry sparked by a so-called “whistleblower” complaint, stating: “Mr. President, you are not above the law. You will be held accountable.”
“For a while, the President has tried to normalize lawlessness. Now, he is trying to make lawlessness a virtue,” Pelosi’s statement read. “The White House letter is only the latest attempt to cover up his betrayal of our democracy, and to insist that the President is above the law.”
“This letter is manifestly wrong, and is simply another unlawful attempt to hide the facts of the Trump Administration’s brazen efforts to pressure foreign powers to intervene in the 2020 elections. Despite the White House’s stonewalling, we see a growing body of evidence that shows that President Trump abused his office and violated his oath to ‘protect, preserve and defend the Constitution,’” it added. “Mr. President, you are not above the law. You will be held accountable.”
Earlier Tuesday, the White House sent a letter to Pelosi stating it refuses to cooperate with the probe and blasted it as “illegitimate and unconstitutional.”
The letter, written by White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, accused the speaker of attempting to “overturn the results” of the 2016 presidential election.
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“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,” the letter read. “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 the President no choice.
“Consistent with the duties of the President of the United States, and in particular his obligation to preserve the rights of future occupants of his office, President Trump cannot permit his Administration to participate in this partisan inquiry under these circumstances,” it added.
Pelosi launched the impeachment probe against President Trump on September 24th after a partisan CIA officer accused the president in a so-called “whistleblower” complaint of asking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to look into allegations of corruption against former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. Both presidents have denied any pressure was applied to probe into the Bidens, and in a nod to transparency, the White House released a transcript of the world leaders’ call to illustrate no wrongdoing occurred.
“We had I think good phone call. It was normal. We spoke about many things, and I — so I think and you read it that nobody pushed me,” Zelensky, flanked by President Trump, told reporters at the United Nations last month.
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