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A2 u.s. news
Saturday 5 OctOber 2019

Impeachment probe reaches into White House with new subpoena

By ZEKE MILLER and JILL the impeachment inquiry
COLVIN had begun.
Associated Press On Friday, investigators in
WASHINGTON (AP) — For Congress heard again from
the first time, the impeach- Michael Atkinson, the intel-
ment inquiry reached di- ligence community inspec-
rectly into the White House tor general who brought
on Friday as Democrats forward the whistleblower
subpoenaed officials about complaint of Trump’s call
contacts with Ukraine and with the Ukraine president
President Donald Trump that sparked the impeach-
signaled his administration ment inquiry.
would not cooperate. Trump repeated on Friday
The demand for docu- that he had been pressing
ments capped a tumultu- Ukraine to investigate cor-
ous week that widened ruption, not trying to under-
the constitutional battle mine Biden, who could be
between the executive his 2020 presidential elec-
branch and Congress and tion opponent. He made
sharpened the political a related request of China,
standoff with more witness- specifying Biden and his
es, testimony and docu- son, on Thursday.
ments to come. As Republicans search for
Trump said he would for- President Donald Trump speaks as he gestures to the audience during the Young Black Leadership a response to the investi-
mally object to Congress Summit at the White House in Washington, Friday, Oct. 4, 2019. gation , the absence of a
about the House impeach- Associated Press procedural vote to begin
ment inquiry, even as he “a path of defiance, ob- gate former Vice President ment inquiry is underway, the probe has been a main
acknowledged that Dem- struction and cover-up” Joe Biden the centerpiece and it is not for the White attack line against Demo-
ocrats “have the votes” to and warned that defying of the probe. A whistle- House to say otherwise.” crats.
proceed. They’ll be sorry in the House subpoena would blower complaint said that Trump’s comments at the Pelosi swatted back the
the end, he predicted. in itself be considered “evi- Trump sought to use military White House came shortly need for such a vote as un-
“I really believe that they’re dence of obstruction” and assistance for Ukraine as le- before Democrats sent a necessary.
going to pay a tremendous a potentially an impeach- verage to push President separate extensive request Pelosi has sought to avoid
price at the polls,” Trump able offense. Volodymyr Zelenskiy to in- for documents to Vice Pres- a vote on the impeach-
said. Lawmakers have made vestigate the 2020 Demo- ident Mike Pence about his ment probe for the same
But Democrats accused Trump’s request last sum- cratic hopeful. contacts with Ukraine. reason she resisted, for
Trump of speeding down mer that Ukraine investi- “We deeply regret that Pence spokeswoman Ka- months, liberal calls to try
President Trump has put us tie Waldman dismissed the to remove the president:
-- and the nation -- in this po- demand, saying that given It would force moderate
sition, but his actions have its wide scope, “it does not House Democrats to make
left us with no choice,” appear to be a serious re- a politically risky vote.
wrote the three Democrat- quest.” The White House, mean-
ic House chairmen, Reps. The House has also subpoe- while, is trying to force the
Elijah Cummings, Adam naed Secretary of State question on Democrats, as
Schiff and Eliot Engel, in is- Mike Pompeo. it seeks to raise the political
suing Friday’s subpoena af- When Pelosi recently an- cost for their impeachment
ter White House resistance nounced that the House investigation and to ani-
to the panel’s request for was initiating the inquiry, mate the president’s sup-
witnesses and documents. she didn’t seek the consent porters ahead of the 2020
Fighting the inquiry, the of the full chamber, as was election.
White House was expected done for impeachment Two days after telling re-
to send a letter to House investigations into former porters, “Well, I always co-
Speaker Nancy Pelosi argu- Presidents Richard Nixon operate,” Trump struck a
ing that Congress could not and Bill Clinton. But it is pro- different note on cooper-
mount its impeachment ceeding at a rapidly esca- ating with the House probe.
investigation without first lating pace. “I don’t know,” he said.
having a vote to authorize Late Thursday, House inves- “That’s up to the lawyers.”
it. White House press sec- tigators released a cache There’s no clear-cut pro-
retary Stephanie Grisham of text messages that cedure in the Constitution
derided the subpoena as showed top U.S. diplomats for initiating an impeach-
coming from a Democratic encouraging Ukraine’s ment inquiry, leaving many
“kangaroo court.” newly elected president to questions about possible
But Pelosi insisted the House conduct an investigation presidential obstruction un-
is well within its rules to con- linked to Biden’s family in tested in court, said Allan Li-
duct oversight of the exec- return for granting a high- chtman, a history professor
utive branch under the U.S. profile visit with Trump in at American University.
Constitution. Washington. “There’s no specification
In the letter accompanying The release followed a 10- in the Constitution in what
the subpoena, the three hour interview with one of does and does not con-
chairmen agreed, stating, the diplomats, Kurt Volker, stitute a more formal im-
“Speaker Pelosi has con- who stepped down as spe- peachment inquiry or in-
firmed that an impeach- cial envoy to Ukraine after vestigation,” he said.q