Team Trump on Wednesday accused Democrats of being sore losers bent on a partisan witch hunt because the special counsel’s Russia probe did not take down President Trump — and declared that they would not cooperate with ongoing House investigations.
In a 12-page letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, White House Counsel Pat Cipollone said the Manhattan lawmaker was only replicating Robert Mueller’s nearly two-year probe — and that Congress was not entitled to a “do-over” of the investigation.
“The only purpose for this duplication seems to be harassing and seeking to embarrass political opponents after an exhaustive two-year investigation by the Department of Justice did not reach the conclusion that some members of the committee apparently would have preferred,” Cipollone wrote.
Cipollone asked Nadler to cancel the investigation.
“Under the circumstances, the appropriate course is for the Committee to discontinue the inquiry discussed in the March 4 letter,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, it appears that you have already decided to press ahead with a duplicative investigation, including by issuing subpoenas, to replow the same ground the Special Counsel has already covered. I ask that you reconsider that approach.”
And the White House lawyer indicated that he wouldn’t play ball.
“The White House will not participate in the Committee’s investigation that brushes aside the conclusions of the Department of Justice after a two-year-long effort in favor of political theater pre-ordained to reach a preconceived and false result,” the lawyer said.
Cipollone argued that Congress can’t investigate for the sake of it and said Nadler must show that the probes are in pursuit of legislation. He also said that purely presidential duties — like the power to pardon — can’t be investigated by Congress.
“This is the White House claiming the president is a king,” Nadler fumed to CNN once contents of the letter were made public.
Earlier Wednesday, Nadler held a hearing on executive privilege where he revealed that “the White House has attempted to impede over 20 congressional investigations, including by ignoring or failing to provide meaningful responses to dozens of letters requesting information on topics ranging from the Affordable Care Act, to the security of our elections, to the policy of separating children from their parents at the border.”