“If tomorrow, McGahn does not appear before the committee as a result of the President's direction, the time has come to open an [impeachment] inquiry...' Representative David Cicilline, a Democrat on the Judiciary committee, told Newsweek.
With President Donald Trump directing former White House counsel Don McGahn to defy a congressional subpoena and not to testify Tuesday morning before a House Committee, key Democrats moved closer toward supporting an impeachment inquiry into the president on Monday.
“If tomorrow, McGahn does not appear before the committee as a result of the president's direction, the time has come to open an [impeachment] inquiry so that the committee can have the ability to compel the attendance of witnesses, compel the production documents and make an informed judgment,” Representative David Cicilline, a Democrat on the committee, told Newsweek.
Democratic Representative Ted Lieu, another Judiciary member, told Politico that without McGahn’s appearance and with the withholding of documents, “I think we have to start proceeding down this path” of impeachment. In a letter to the Judiciary Committee, McGahn's lawyer reportedly told Chairman Jerrold Nadler that McGahn felt"obligated" to"respect the President's instruction." Nadler responded with a letter of his own, warning that McGahn will"risk serious consequences" if he does not testify and that the committee will"use all enforcement mechanisms at its disposal.
House Democratic leadership has long cautioned the party against impeachment, but Judiciary members reiterated their frustration with the White House’s refusal to cooperate with their subpoenas, signaling that they may soon have no choice but to consider an impeachment inquiry to access more investigatory power to compel subpoenaed witness testimonies and the production of documents.
House Judiciary Committee member Rep. David Cicilline talks with Chairman Jerrold Nadler during an oversight hearing with Acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill February 8 in Washington, DC. Rep. Val Demings appears in the foreground. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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