Democrats 'will not be pressured' by Trump's attempt to squash their constitutional powers: CNN reporter

On Monday, CNN White House correspondent Manu Raju said that House Democrats are unlikely to be fazed by President Donald Trump's letter demanding that they must stop the impeachment investigation until they hold a formal vote on the matter.

"What are the chances that House Democrats have the whole House vote on initiating an impeachment inquiry in response to this letter?" asked anchor Brianna Keilar.

"Well, very slim," said Raju. "And Nancy Pelosi has made clear that she would not be pushed by the president to hold a vote to formalize an impeachment inquiry, in large part because the Democrats argue it is simply not necessary. They say that under the rules, they could certainly launch an impeachment inquiry and vote to impeach this president without having to formalize a formal probe."

"Now at the same time, having a vote to authorize an inquiry to lead to other complications," continued Raju. "Republicans could argue they have subpoena power, and past impeachment inquiries have allowed that, and similarly it could lead to politic and practical problems. It could take a lot of time on the House floor, make difficulty in drafting a resolution to authorize a formal impeachment inquiry, and it could put some Democrats in difficult positions, particularly ones who represent districts that Trump carried in 2016."

"So the Democrats are really in no rush," added Raju. "They believe they are not going to get pressured by this White House. So expect the stalemate to persist and eventually the Democrats will make a decision on impeachment."

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