White House slams door on any cooperation in Trump impeachment probe

The White House slammed the door Tuesday on any cooperation by President Donald Trump's administration with the Democrats' impeachment probe, calling it "constitutionally invalid."

The eight page letter signed by White House counsel Pat Cipollone rejected the entire process underway in the House of Representatives, which is looking into whether Trump abused his office by seeking a corruption probe in Ukraine of 2020 election rival Joe Biden.

"President Trump cannot permit his Administration to participate in this partisan inquiry under these circumstances," the letter said.

"Your inquiry lacks any legitimate constitutional foundation, any pretense of fairness, or even the most elementary due process protections," the letter said.

The White House said it objected especially to the fact that the lower house had not held a formal vote to launch the impeachment enquiry.