Last Updated on February 4, 2021
President Donald Trump’s legal minced no words in their response to congressional Democrats’ failed attempt to force President Trump to testify at a bizarre impeachment hearing months after he has left office, slamming the request as a “public relations stunt.”
“The use of our Constitution to bring a purported impeachment proceeding is much too serious to try to play these games,” President Trump’s attorneys Bruce Castor and David Schoen wrote in their response to Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD).
“Dear Congressman Raskin: We are in receipt of your latest public relations stunt. As you certainly know, there is no such thing as a negative inference in this unconstitutional proceeding,” the legal team stated in response to claims that President Trump’s refusal to appear would be seen as a “negative inference” towards supposed unspecified offenses.
The statement added, “Your letter only confirms what is known to everyone: You cannot prove your allegations against the 45th president of the United States, who is now a private citizen.”
https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1357429468273467394
Raskin had previously claimed that “If you decline this invitation, we reserve any and all rights, including the right to establish at trial that your refusal to testify supports a strong adverse inference regarding your actions (and inaction) on January 6, 2021.”
President Trump’s legal team has previously condemned Democrats’ dubious and unprecedented impeachment attempt, as reported by National File:
President Donald J. Trump, through his legal team, has officially responded to the Democrats’ partisan impeachment attempt, which represents a historic first as the Democrat-controlled Senate, with at least partial backing from Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, attempts to convict a private citizen in a presidential impeachment trial.
Noting that the U.S. Constitution only applies impeachment as a potential punishment for a sitting President of the United States, the statement firmly states that President Trump engaged in no attempt to incite an “insurrection” on January 6.
“It is denied that the 45th President engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States,” the statement explains. “The 45th President believes and therefore avers that as a private citizen, the Senate has no jurisdiction over his ability to hold office and for the Senate to take action on this averment would” be unconstitutional.
45 Republicans senators voted that the impeachment attempt violated the Constitution in January.