In a letter to House committees running the Democrats' impeachment inquiry, Pence's counsel revealed that the vice president, like US President Donald Trump and his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, refuses to cooperate and turn over documents requested in a subpoena issued on October 4.
Echoing the White House's release from the week prior, Pence highlighted that the current inquiry has not been authorized by the full House of Representatives.
"Instead of being accountable to the American people and casting a vote to authorize what all agree is a substantial constitutional step, you have instead attempted to avoid this fundamental requirement by invoking the Speaker's announcement of an 'official impeachment inquiry' at a press conference," Pence's office said in a statement.
NEWS: @VP won’t comply with House Dems document request, dismissing the impeachment inquiry as a “self-proclaimed ‘impeachment inquiry.” Story coming in a minute. pic.twitter.com/VpXTRvbBJp
— Leigh Ann Caldwell (@LACaldwellDC) October 15, 2019
The legal document called for Pence to comply by October 15 and stated that his failure to do so "shall constitute evidence of obstruction of the House's impeachment inquiry and may be used as an adverse inference against" both him and Trump.
During a Tuesday afternoon press conference, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi informed reporters that she would discuss a full House vote on the impeachment inquiry following a 6 p.m. meeting with House Democrats.
