Trump slams impeachment as 'the greatest witch hunt in American history' after the House passed a resolution formalizing the inquiry
- On Thursday morning, the House passed a resolution that formalized the impeachment inquiry after weeks of complaints from Republican lawmakers about the closed-door process.
- Trump slammed the probe as the White House released a statement calling it "a blatantly partisan attempt to destroy the President."
- "The Greatest Witch Hunt In American History!" Trump tweeted.
- The White House insisted in a statement that Trump "has done nothing wrong" and accused Democrats of conducting "a sham impeachment-a blatantly partisan attempt to destroy the President."
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President Donald Trump slammed Congress' impeachment inquiry shortly after the House passed a resolution that formalized the impeachment probe on Thursday morning.
"The Greatest Witch Hunt In American History!" Trump tweeted.
The vote comes after weeks of complaints from Republican lawmakers on the closed-door process.
The White House insisted in a statement released shortly after the vote that Trump "has done nothing wrong" and accused Democrats of conducting "a sham impeachment-a blatantly partisan attempt to destroy the President."
"Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats' unhinged obsession with this illegitimate impeachment proceeding does not hurt President Trump; it hurts the American people," the White House said. "The Democrats want to render a verdict without giving the Administration a chance to mount a defense. That is unfair, unconstitutional, and fundamentally un-American."
The White House continued to hold that the impeachment process "fails to provide any due process whatsoever to the Administration" despite the fact that the inquiry has been le
The resolution's passage sets rules for the inquiry and signals that it will begin to transition into a more public phase. Witnesses are still testifying privately, but this historic development could result in public, televised hearings within a month and possibly a vote on impeachment by the end of the year. Over a dozen witnesses have been interviewed as part of the inquiry so far.
John Haltiwanger contributed to this report.