Page:Impeachment of Donald J. Trump, President of the United States — Report of the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives.pdf/171

 But no President before this one has declared himself and his entire branch of government exempt from subpoenas issued by the House under its "sole Power of Impeachment." No President has made compliance with his every demand a condition of even considering whether to honor subpoenas. No President has directed his senior officials to violate their own legal obligations because an impeachment was "illegitimate." Indeed, every President in our Nation's history but one has done the opposite—and that President, Richard M. Nixon, faced an article of impeachment in this Committee for withholding key evidence from the House.

b.Denial of Any Mechanism of Legal Oversight or Accountability

Approval of the Second Article of Impeachment is further supported by President Trump's apparent view that nobody in the United States government has the lawful authority to investigate any misconduct in which he engages. This view is evident in the legal positions he has taken while in office. To start, President Trump maintains that he is completely immune from criminal indictment and prosecution while serving as President. He also claims that he cannot be investigated—under any circumstance—by state or federal law enforcement while in office. He asserts the authority to terminate and control federal law enforcement investigations for any reason (or none at all), including when he is the subject of an investigation. He insists that unfounded doctrines, such as absolute immunity, preclude testimony by many current and former officials who might shed light on any Presidential abuses. He defies binding Congressional subpoenas on topics of national importance based on his own determination that they lack a legitimate purpose, and then he sues to block third