Trump’s chief of staff refuses to testify in impeachment inquiry “one minute” before deposition started
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This morning, acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney defied a subpoena and refused to testify before Congress in the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump.
Rudely sending his refusal just one minute before his deposition was supposed to start, Mulvaney gave the excuse that the White House had “directed” him to not comply and claimed he had “absolute immunity.”
“This morning, one minute before his scheduled deposition was to start, Mr. Mulvaney’s outside counsel informed us that his client had been directed by the White House not to comply with the duly authorized subpoena and asserted ‘absolute immunity,’ said an official in a statement.
The president later claimed that he would “love” to see Mick testify but didn’t want to “give any credibility to a corrupt witch hunt.”
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Mulvaney is a witness of particular interest to the impeachment committee because he admitted in a press conference that the President deliberately withheld military aid from Ukraine in order to bully the Ukrainian government into opening investigations that would give Trump dirt to use against his political enemies.
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While the Trump White House appears to think they can just stonewall their way out of this, the Democrats are unfazed by the continuous refusal to appear before their committees.
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“If the White House had evidence to contest those facts, they would allow Mr. Mulvaney to be deposed, as three chiefs of staffs of President Clinton were during his impeachment proceedings,” said an impeachment inquiry official to the Hill in response to Mulvaney’s little stunt.
Refusing to comply with everything that Congress asks does not exactly paint a portrait of innocence on the part of the Trump team, and defying subpoenas could open them up to even more legal trouble than they’re already in. The law is squarely on the side of the Democrats, who will see justice be done. Trump can play hardball now if he wants, but he’s only making it worse for himself in the long run.
Original reporting by Olivia Beavers and Mike Lillis at the Hill.