Jeffries: Even Nixon didn’t block White House aides from testifying
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) sought to contrast then-President Nixon’s behavior during the House impeachment investigation to President Trump’s tactics as part of Democrats’ argument to subpoena acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney.
Jeffries, speaking from the front of the Senate chamber, argued that Trump is engaging in “complete and total presidential obstruction” that is “unprecedented in American history.”
“Even President Nixon, whose articles of impeachment included obstruction of Congress, did not block key White House aides from testifying in front of Congress during the Senate Watergate hearings. …President Trump’s complete and total obstruction makes Richard Nixon look like a choir boy,” he said.
Jeffries is providing the House Democrats’ argument in support of an amendment from Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) to the impeachment rules that would require Mulvaney testify as part of the Senate impeachment trial.
Once House managers and Trump’s legal team debate the amendment — they can use up to two hours — the Senate will vote on calling Mulvaney.
Republicans are expected to table the amendment, effectively killing it after also shooting down three requests for Ukraine-related documents.
Mulvaney has emerged as a central figure in the impeachment investigation; House Democrats subpoenaed him as part of their inquiry, but the White House refused to take part in the months-long probe.
Mulvaney sparked a firestorm, and a multi-day cleanup effort, late last year when he appeared to acknowledge that Trump linking Ukraine aid to a probe into the 2016 election was nothing out of the ordinary, telling reporters to “get over it.”
“There’s going to be political influence in foreign policy,” Mulvaney said during a press conference in the White House briefing room. “That’s going to happen.”
He later accused the media of mischaracterizing his remarks as part of a “witch hunt” against Trump.
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