Politics

Mike Pence Refuses To Comply With House Democrats’ Documents Request

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen Pence wave during a campaign rally in Minneapolis

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David Krayden Ottawa Bureau Chief
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Vice President Mike Pence is refusing to comply with House Democrats’ request for a long list of documents as part of its impeachment inquiry.

In a letter to the chairmen of the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees, Pence’s attorney, Matthew Morgan, dismissed the document request Tuesday as just another demand in the “self-proclaimed impeachment inquiry,” and pointed out that the House of Representatives still hasn’t even voted on impeachment and apparently has no plans to do so. (RELATED: Rep. Schiff Fabricates What Trump Said In Ukraine Telephone Call Transcript)

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 5: Speaker Nancy Pelosi gestures as President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence applaud during the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol Building on February 5, 2019 in Washington, DC. President Trump's second State of the Union address was postponed one week due to the partial government shutdown. (Photo by Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images)

Speaker Nancy Pelosi gestures as President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence applaud during the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol Building on Feb. 5, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images)

Morgan maintained that the document request is emblematic of an impeachment inquiry that “calls into question your commitment to fundamental fairness and due process rights.”

“Never before in history has the Speaker of the House attempted to launch an ‘impeachment inquiry’ against a president without the majority of the House of Representatives voting to authorize a constitutionally acceptable process,” Morgan writes.

“Please know that if the Committees wish to return to the regular order of legitimate legislative oversight requests, and the Committees have appropriate requests for information solely in the custody of the Office of the Vice President, we are prepared to work with you in a manner consistent with well-established bipartisan constitutional protections and a respect for separation of powers.” Morgan continued. (RELATED: Ken Starr: Impeachment ‘Doomed To Fail’ Because Poor Judgment Is ‘Not A Crime’)

US President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks to the media prior to departing from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on October 10, 2019 on his way to Minnesota for a rally. (Photo by Nicholas Kamm / AFP) (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)

US President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks to the media prior to departing from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on Oct. 10, 2019 on his way to Minnesota for a rally. (Photo by Nicholas Kamm / AFP) (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)

Pence was notified on Oct. 4 by House Democrats to relinquish all documents related to the July 25 phone call between President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart.

Trump has indicated that he has no intention of complying with a “constitutionally illegitimate” impeachment inquiry.

House Democrats were reportedly considering a vote on impeachment, apparently as a way of increasing pressure on the Trump administration to comply with subpoenas and other demands, the Associated Press reported.

However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is apparently not ready for the step after meeting with key members of her caucus Tuesday night.