Shortly after Democrats formally launched an impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump, the White House announced that neither the president nor the administration would cooperate with the investigation. Claiming that the “unprecedented” probe somehow violated Trump’s constitutional rights, counsel Pat Cipollone informed Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats that the president had chosen to “reject” their “efforts to overturn the democratic process,” and would refuse to “participate” in the inquiry. In addition to not making the president available to lawmakers, that has meant blocking key staffers from appearing for questioning, a tactic a federal judge called bullshit on on Monday, saying that the White House’s argument for obstructing justice “is manifestly inconsistent with a governmental scheme that can only function properly if its institutions work together.” She also wrote, in a blow from which the president and his supporters are likely still recover, “Presidents are not kings,” and “they do not have subjects, bound by loyalty or blood, whose destiny they are entitled to control.”

The ruling, by U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, was specifically related to the case of former White House counsel Don McGahn, who was subpoenaed last April to testify about alleged acts of obstruction by Trump detailed in the Mueller report, and was blocked from doing so by the administration. But it is obviously far-reaching, particularly concerning the impeachment proceedings, and means that individuals the administration has refused to let testify, like say the Secretary of State, are now free to do so. (Though, naturally, loyal servants like Mike “God appointed Trump president” Pompeo are unlikely to suddenly go against their leader’s wishes.) Unsurprisingly, the ruling has been appealed.

For his part, the president claimed on Tuesday that while he would love to see people who know where all the Ukraine bodies are buried, allowing them to do so would jeopardize the ability of future presidents to commit impeachable offenses, and that’s not something he’s willing to have on his conscience.

“The D.C. Wolves and Fake News Media are reading far too much into people being forced by Courts to testify before Congress,” Trump wrote shortly before pardoning Bread and Butter the turkeys. “I am fighting for future Presidents and the Office of the President. Other than that, I would actually like people to testify. Don McGahn’s respected lawyer has already stated that I did nothing wrong. John Bolton is a patriot and may know that I held back the money from Ukraine because it is considered a corrupt country, & I wanted to know why nearby European countries weren’t putting up money also. Likewise, I would love to have Mike Pompeo, Rick Perry, Mick Mulvaney, and many others testify about the phony Impeachment Hoax. It is a Democrat Scam that is going nowhere but, future Presidents should in no way be compromised. What has happened to me should never happen to another President!”

Ya hear that future presidents? He’s doing this for you.

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Speaking of Mike Pompeo and Ukraine

On Tuesday the secretary of State suggested he may use the full weight of the State Department to investigate one of Trump’s thoroughly disproven fever dreams: