Trump Responds to Pelosi's Invitation to Testify

President says he will 'strongly consider' it
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 18, 2019 9:04 AM CST
Trump: I'll Consider Testifying
President Trump speaks during an event on healthcare prices in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Friday, Nov. 15, 2019, in Washington.   (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

On Sunday, Nancy Pelosi said President Trump was welcome to personally testify in the House impeachment inquiry. On Monday, Trump said he just might do that. "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!" he tweeted. Trump also made a point to mention that Pelosi said he could testify in writing if he chose. Whether Trump's attorneys would sign off on such a thing is unclear. The Hill points out that Trump once pledged to sit for an interview in the Robert Mueller investigation, but opted instead to provide written answers to questions. Related:

  • A big week: No impeachment hearings take place Monday, but this week will see testimony from eight witnesses. The public hearings resume Tuesday, with Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman of the NSC, Mike Pence aide Jennifer Williams, former Ukraine envoy Kurt Volker, and former NSC aide Tim Morrison. But all eyes will be on the Wednesday morning testimony of Gordon Sondland, the diplomat who figures prominently in the controversy. NPR has the full schedule.

  • Playing the media: NPR's Steve Inskeep isn't holding his breath in regard to Trump's testimony. "The president frequently makes headlines saying he might do things that do not come to pass," he tweets. "Maybe he’ll testify! But there’s no way to tell from his tweets. He doesn’t even promise to here. This began before his (inauguration,) has never stopped, and has never stopped working."
  • New target of Trump: Trump labeled Williams, who is one of the vice president's top national security aides, a "Never Trumper" on Sunday, reports Politico. The slam came after it was revealed that Williams called Trump's July phone call with his Ukraine counterpart "inappropriate" in her earlier deposition to Congress. Williams testifies in public on Tuesday. Trump tweeted that Williams should read the transcripts of both his calls to the Ukraine leader, then "meet with the other Never Trumpers, who I don’t know & mostly never even heard of, & work out a better presidential attack!"
  • More on Sondland: His shifting accounts of the Ukraine narrative and his phone conversations with Trump on the issue have made him one of the most prominent figures in the impeachment inquiry. On Monday, the Wall Street Journal came out with more details on how Sondland kept top administration officials apprised of his progress to get Ukraine to start investigations sought by the White House. As an analysis in the Observer sees it, Sondland must choose between saving himself and loyalty to Trump.
  • Timeline: Mitch McConnell says he's "pretty confident" this process will not end in Trump's ouster, but he expects the Senate's side of things to go on into 2020. “It looks to me like the House is going to be on this until Christmas, then it comes over to the Senate," said McConnell, per Politico. "It displaces all other business." If that's the case, the six Democratic senators running for president will likely be in a jam because the Iowa caucuses are Feb. 3.
(More Trump impeachment stories.)

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