Trump Informs House of Representatives He Will Not Participate In Impeachment Inquiry

White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, on behalf of President Trump, has sent a letter to House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Chairmen Adam Schiff, Elliot Engel, and Elijah Cummings informing them “President Trump and his Administration cannot participate in [their] partisan and unconstitutional inquiry under these circumstances.” The letter argues President Trump has been denied “the right to cross-examine witnesses, to call witnesses, to receive transcripts of testimony, to have access to evidence, to have counsel present, and many other basic rights guaranteed to all Americans.” It also asserts “to launch an impeachment inquiry against the President [requires] a majority of the House taking political accountability for that decision by voting to authorize [the impeachment process].” Ending the letter, the President’s counsel suggests that if “the Committees wish to return to the [regular process]” the White House will “stand ready to engage in that process” “in a manner consistent with well-established bipartisan constitutional protections and a respect for the separation of powers enshrined in our Constitution.”