Congressional Republicans are blasting Democrats for charging ahead with subpoenas to the White House for information related to the Ukraine controversy amid their impeachment inquiry, claiming they did so without consulting GOP members.
Republican members of the House Oversight Committee, led by Ranking Member Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, penned a letter to committee Chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md., late Thursday, requesting he hold off on plans to issue subpoenas to the White House and allow members, on both sides of the aisle, to debate and vote on whether to take action.
“You decided to issue this subpoena without consulting Republicans and without allowing Members to debate the terms of the subpoena,” Jordan and fellow Republican members wrote Friday. “Your memorandum cherry-picks and misstates information to propagate a misleading narrative about the President’s actions.”
They claimed such a move would prove “the partisan nature” of their probe and would violate a bipartisan agreement they had to consult with each other on subpoenas.
“We object strongly to the issuance of this subpoena and your stated reasons for issuing it,” they continued.
“If you proceed with this subpoena over our objections, you will be violating our bipartisan agreement about subpoenas, trampling on long-held minority rights in the House of Representatives, and proving the partisan nature of your inquiry.”
The letter is just the latest instance of Republicans complaining over the Democrats' handling of the impeachment probe.
On Thursday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to suspend the impeachment inquiry until “equitable rules and procedures” are set up, and criticized her for the “swiftness and recklessness” which House committee chairs have acted with.
“Unfortunately, you have given no clear indication as to how your impeachment inquiry will proceed--including whether key historical precedents or basic standards of due process will be observed,” McCarthy wrote in a letter to Pelosi, also pleading to ensure Republican participation in the proceedings.
Rep. McCarthy: Remove Schiff from Intel Committee due to 'lies and deceit'
Relatedly, Trump is expected to send a letter to Pelosi as soon as Friday “daring” her to hold a vote on Democrats’ impeachment inquiry. The letter will say that the
White House won’t comply with the Democrats’ investigation because Pelosi hasn’t codified the probe with a formal vote on the House floor.
Pelosi showed no signs of backing down, however, writing back to McCarthy: "The existing rules of the House provide House Committees with full authority to conduct investigations for all matters under their jurisdiction, including impeachment investigations. There is no requirement under the Constitution, under House Rules, or House precedent that the whole House vote before proceeding with an impeachment inquiry."
The Republican complaints come as House Democrats intensify and widen their impeachment inquiry. Last week, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel and Cummings sent a subpoena to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Friday is the deadline for Pompeo to comply with the subpoena. If he doesn’t, the move will likely fuel Democrats’ case and could prompt obstruction allegations.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rep...he-white-house
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