Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives will consider attempts by the White House to delay their formal impeachment inquiry to be an obstruction of Congress, House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff said Oct. 2.
"We want to make it abundantly clear that any effort by [Secretary of State Mike Pompeo], by the President, by anyone else, to interfere with the Congress's ability to call before it relevant witnesses will be considered as evidence of obstruction of the lawful functions of Congress, and more than that [it] will allow an adverse inference to be drawn as to the underlying facts," Schiff said during a press conference on Capitol Hill. "If they are going to prevent witnesses from coming forward to testify on the allegations in the whistleblower complaint, that will create an adverse inference that those allegations are, in fact, correct."
Congress cited both Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton for obstruction during their presidencies. Nixon resigned before impeachment proceedings began, while Clinton was acquitted on two articles of impeachment in 1999.
'A real sense of urgency'
Schiff added that the House does not plan to draw an impeachment inquiry out over a long period of time.
"We are proceeding deliberately, but at the same time we feel a real sense of urgency here that this work needs to get done, and it needs to get done in a responsible period of time," he said.
The press conference followed the release of a notice of intent from House Oversight Committee Chair Elijah Cummings, D-Md., that it would issue a subpoena to the White House on Oct. 4, following consultations with the House Foreign Affairs and Intelligence Committees.
"Over the past several weeks, the Committees tried several times to obtain voluntary compliance with our requests for documents, but the White House has refused to engage with — or even respond to —the Committees," the notice reads. "The White House's flagrant disregard of multiple voluntary requests for documents — combined with stark and urgent warnings from the Inspector General about the gravity of these allegations — have left us with no choice but to issue this subpoena."
Trade deal progress
Despite the national focus on impeachment, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters she wants to work with President Donald Trump on key issues like drug pricing and passing the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, which would replace the North American Free Trade Agreement.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has called on Congress to pass the USMCA by Thanksgiving, telling reporters on a conference call held Oct. 1 that businesses and voters, "expect that our elected officials can walk and chew gum," when it comes to passing legislation in the midst of an impeachment inquiry.
Pelosi said members are working productively with White House officials when it comes to the trade deal.
"We're on a path to yes as far as the trade agreement is concerned," she said. "The quiet you hear is progress."
