Trump says he'd 'strongly consider' giving written testimony in impeachment inquiry
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said Monday he would consider a request by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to provide testimony in the ongoing impeachment inquiry.
"Even though I did nothing wrong, and don’t like giving credibility to this No Due Process Hoax, I like the idea & will, in order to get Congress focused again, strongly consider it!" Trump said in a tweet in which he also criticized Pelosi and others as "DO Nothing" Democrats.
During a weekend appearance on CBS' Face The Nation, Pelosi said "the president could come right before the committee and talk, speak all the truth that he wants if he wants. ... He has every opportunity to present his case."
....that I testify about the phony Impeachment Witch Hunt. She also said I could do it in writing. Even though I did nothing wrong, and don’t like giving credibility to this No Due Process Hoax, I like the idea & will, in order to get Congress focused again, strongly consider it!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 18, 2019
Trump made a similar offer to Special Counsel Robert Mueller during the investigation of Russian election interference, but testimony did not come for nearly a year-and-a-half.
In June 2017, Trump said he was "100 percent" willing to testify to Mueller. After a series of negotiations among lawyers, Trump provided written answers to Mueller's office in November 2018.
The House impeachment inquiry focuses on whether Trump improperly pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals, including former Vice President Joe Biden, a front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. The president has insisted he did nothing wrong and has called the impeachment inquiry a "hoax."
More: How to stay updated on USA TODAY's impeachment coverage
Trump and aides are bracing for three days of impeachment hearings this week to be conducted by the House Intelligence Committee.
On Tuesday, House lawmakers will hear from Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, an official with the White House National Security Council who listened to a July 25 call Trump had with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and raised concerns about it.
The hearing Wednesday will feature testimony from Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union and a Trump ally. Sondland told the House Intelligence Committee in closed-door testimony last month that Trump assured him there was no quid pro quo for Ukraine to begin investigations in exchange for military aid. But he amended his sworn testimony Nov. 4 to say that he met with Ukrainians in Warsaw Sept. 1 and told them that the resumption of aid depended upon an anti-corruption announcement.
Several Democrats have called on Trump and his top-level aides to provide his version of events on his dealings with Zelensky. They noted that Trump has blocked his immediate White House staff from providing information to the impeachment committee.
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters that Trump "shouldn't tweet" if he doesn't like what he's hearing in the investigation.
"He should come to the committee and testify under oath and he should allow all those around him to come to the committee and testify under oath," he said.
Some legal analysts expressed skepticism about Trump's sincerity but said his testimony would no doubt be welcomed by impeachment investigators.
Joyce Alene, a former federal prosecutor and now a law professor at the University of Alabama, said Trump should consider live testimony before the House committee conducting the impeachment hearings.
"We’ve heard Trump say he’ll answer questions in an inquiry before & renege, but imagine the ratings!" Alene tweeted. "It would be the biggest tv audience ever. Go for it Mr. President!"
Barb McQuade, also a former federal prosecutor and now a law professor at the University of Michigan, said there is "zero" chance that Trump will testify under oath, or that his lawyers would let him.
"Outside of a hearing room, he can control the narrative," McQuade said. "He can say what he wants and even lie with impunity. In a hearing, on the other hand, skilled and experienced committee counsel will ask probing questions and pin him down on inconsistencies. In that setting, lies are crimes or impeachable offenses."
McQuade added that Trump could possibly agree to written answers "because in that form he can receive assistance from lawyers and avoid follow-up questions."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump says he would consider providing impeachment testimony
