It looks like an impasse. Sarah westwood is at the white house. Sarah its not a new approach, the white house has stonewalled for weeks and months on other investigations. But for an impeachment inquiry, its significant. Reporter thats right, jim. This is the white house outlining it as an official policy they are taking to this response in that 68thing letter to House Democrats yesterday. The white house making clear they are not going to cooperate in anyway, shape or form with the democrats unless they have an official Impeachment Vote and even in that case, the president S White House counsel writing they wont necessarily even cooperate then. They dont want to speculate on what would happen. I want to read you a part of the letter, in it the white House Counsel writes, President Trump and his administration reject your baseless, unconstitutional efforts to overturn the democratic process. Your unprecedented actions have left the president with no choice, in order to fulfill his duties to the American People, the constitution and executive branch and all future occupants of the office of the presidency, President Trump and his administration not participate in your part sarn and unconstitutional process. We did not see a defense from the white house President Trump on the merits of the ukraine case. Now, perhaps Speaker Pelosis part, she has made clear the House Democrats will consider any obstruction of their impeachment inquiry as potential grounds for articles of impeachment, thursday stonewalling the impeachment inquiry could, itself, be an Impeachable Offense and she could call the president s bluff and hold this vote. Although, there is nothing in the constitution that states she must hold this kind of vote. The president s lawyers are saying all options are on the table at this point and they are bringing in could you describe counsel in trey gowdy. We will get more on that trey gowdy move. For more on Congressional Democrats next move. Lets go to our cnn on this body. They do have the too many of inherent contempt that they have not used. They have subpoena power, which they are using. What else can they do . Reporter its very clear here, poppying Speaker Pelosi is not going to fold to the white house pressure at this point of potentially having a full house vote on articles of impeachment. She has said in the past, of course, she is not ruling it out, making it clear she believes it is her option, her choice to make. For the moment she doesnt feel its next she doesnt feel its required under the constitution. Of course, there is a political motivation to protect her more moderate members in having to take that vote on the full house floor. That posture on full display when she shot back to that white house letter last night saying, in part, quote, the white house should be warned that continued efforts to hide the truth of the president s abuse of power from the American People will be regarded as further evidence of obstruction. So for the moment, the democrats strategy in responding to this seems to be to continue to keep up trying to get these witnesses in for depositions, continue to issue subpoenas of which there are numerous subpoena deadlines out there, key deadlines coming up, of course, to continuing to highlight the stonewalling on the part of the white house in making it very clear their strategy here, the stonewalling, the obstruction, every act is essentially another Building Block they are piling on to make their case potentially to build on articles of impeachment and notably the House Democrats who have been on recess the last two weeks, they have been holding a Conference Call this friday. Certainly, many members very eager to hear that strategy lakeland out before they head back to washington on monday. Jim and poppy. Joining us to discussion market hoover, host of pbs firing line. Market, it strikes me the democrats dont have a plan to react to this i spoke to steve ghosn, he said it will probably end up in the courts. It tracks out in the courts to weeks and months. It doesnt get you a resolution soon or any time ever. Nancy pelosi and the leadership are trying to wrap this up before the primaries start in february and march. It aint going to happen. By the end of march, 60 of the delegates will be selected for the democratic nominee. We will have a good sense of where its going. Impeachment will be a part of this primary, thats what its telling me. Do you believe if you were nancy pelosi would you hold a vote or is it too politically risky for her to do . It does set ground rules, do you give the minority subpoenas . I try not to role play nancy pelosi. However, i think there is no reason for democrats to take marching orders from the white house. There is no requirement there be an official vote. Its not just the white house. Beto orourke said to anderson this week it would be a good idea. Mike quigley said to us yesterday, yeah, take a vote. Its not the issue of whether a vote is necessary. The point is there is no white house order to determine the process, they are creating a Richard Nixon intense e sense of obstruction and this is a stonewall strategy. They are trying to buy time. They are actually not in a position of strength. That note they put out, you know, that was pure nonsense. That waS White House counsel lionel huts argument. You cant argue impeachment is not we are going there. Market, just you know forgive me for wondering if you know if there were politics at play here, but lets say the democrats do vote for an impeachment inquiry, does the white house then start responding to subpoenas and start sending witness to the hill . Right. Exactly. Suddenly, oh, theyve done what we asked. Now we will comply. Yeah. It seems unlikely. On the other flipside of this, though, if they do vote for an impeachment inquiry, they will have far broader authorities under the law to get documents and do investigations. In a way, i understand that nancy pelosi is trying to walk the fine line between all the new members that she won some republican seats that are moderate and not put them in a difficult position. On the other hand, they lost the narrative battle right now. There is no difference in terms of an impeachment inquiry and impeachment to the regular mass of americans who are following that. That is too finalized for those 2019 members to pars to their constituency. Our sources, they will bring if trey gowdy in some passion to help them with this impeachment inquiry, not as outside counsel, it sounds like being a public voice, he will be on television arguing about this et cetera. He is a good lawyer, for sure, but he stepped down from congress he told cnn because facts matter and facts are important. Then there is this moment from the benghazi hearing 2012. Here he was. The notion that you can withhold information and documents from congress no matter whether are you the party in power or not in power is wrong. Respect for the rule of law must mean something irrespective of the viscitudes of cycle. Irrespective of the rule of law. What will he say . He will say that was then, i would love for trey gowdy to be consistent. I would like any consistency if congress than pure ethics. But, you know, the problem is, that he didnt need to shout it and we dont expect it. Because everyone is sort of knee dmeep hypocrisy in this stuff. This is the constitution. This is not benghazi, this is really serious stuff. Lets get the facts straight. Trey gowdy is not no congress. She a private lawyer practicing in South Carolina, a state that has a 7 Approval Rating for donald trump. If you put yourself, trump is doing very well. If you are a private lawyer practicing in South Carolina with the credentials he has, the white house says the president would like a fair defense, will you be a part of his legal team, there is no reason as a private lawyer you wouldnt defend the presidency. John adams defended the british red coats. If you believe that everybody deserves a fair defense. Just try not to draw it out. Okay. Strategy. Seriously, trey gowdy has good reason to defend the president to join the president s legal team as a private practicing lawyer in South Carolina. Who is familiar, who is do you believe that people are fought entitled to a fair defense, even the president of the United States . Of course. Hes going no get a lot of it. The problem is its a hackish defense that doesnt represent any continuity between what they said now and Lindsey Graham between 98 impeachment and now. We have it. Can we play it . Lindsay frame, South Carolina. Article 3 of impeachment against Richard Nixon, the article was based on the idea that Richard Nixon as president failed to comply with suspense of congress. The day Richard Nixon failed to answer that subpoena is the day that he was subject to impeachment because he took the power from congress over the impeachment process away from congress and he became the judge and jury. I just dont know how these folks explain that everybody has a right to a lawyer. If you are a lawyer making an argument the president does not have to hand over these documents or warnings and youve made a legal argument seven years ago to the opposite. We havent seen him make that argument to be fair. Tray do yougy has not in his private capacity defending the president said we havent sent you document, we wont comply. He said he will be outside counsel. I dont think he and Lindsey Graham deserve to be compared. Lindsay graham that is utter rank hypocrisy, an elected member of congress saying the different thing because the party of the president is different. We will see if we will see the same hypocrisy from trey gowdy. Hes a lawyer, not an elected member of congress. That is different. We all know in trey gowdy is put in as the court of opinion. I think it would be hope over experience to think we will get a more honest strategy and he will shift from stonewalling. There is a bit of hip pock ricci out of washington. Tomorrow, guys, you make our morning. Thank you very much. Still to come, this hour, breaking news. The Turkish Military has begun an offensive in Northern Syria. According to witnesses hundreds have Northern Syrians have fled areas on the border just within the last 30 minutes. We have our correspondent live in the middle of it coming up. This same one, Lindsey Graham, turns on the president , warning that the president s decision to pull u. S. Troops out of Northern Syria may be quote the biggest mistake of his presidency and saying it may cost him the presidency. More on that as our breaking News Coverage continues ahead. Do you have concerns about mild memory loss related to aging . Prevagen is the number one pharmacistrecommended memory support brand. You can find it in the vitamin aisle in stores everywhere. Prevagen. Healthier brain. Better life. Be right back. With moderate to severe Crohns Disease, i was there, just not always where i needed to be. Is she alright . I hope so. So i talked to my doctor about humira. I learned humira is for people who still have symptoms of Crohns Disease after trying other medications. And the majority of people on humira saw significant symptom relief and many achieved remission in as little as 4 weeks. Humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. Before treatment, get tested for tb. Tell your doctor if youve been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if youve had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flulike symptoms or sores. Dont start humira if you have an infection. Be there for you, and them. Ask your gastroenterologist about humira. With humira, remission is possible. Folks, an invasion is under way in Northern Syria. Turkeys president erdogan says the military offensive there has begun. Hundreds of civilians have been fleeing the border in the last 30 minutes. According to Syrian Democratic force, americas close ally in the fight against isis. There is quote huge panic right now as warplanes have started to carry out airstrikes. Those allies by the way say they have been abandoned by the u. S. Cnns Nick Paton Walsh is right in the middle of it on the Syrian Border. Tell us what you are seeing and hearing now, jim. Reporter seeing since we last spoke, i correct myself, much of the shelling we can see have slowed down. All the cell phone towers seem to be switched off from where the attack occurred. We had to move away. Can i see what is possibly like another plume of smoke here. Another barrage of shelling we heard at the beginning of this invasion by turkish president erdogan. It may have slowed where Turkish State Television is playing aircraft at a nearby base here. It seems preparing to launch the bombing run that you referred to earlier on. But as far as what we have seen so far, it does appear this is mostly artillery. I should say clearly the shells we seen land appeared to have landed not from our vantage point. Clearly this is the beginning part of what the operation intends to do. Perhaps softening up the ground they intend to move into. We have seen smoke in the vast expansive here. Which could be Turkish Military convoys on the move. We see large amounts of turkish hardware around this particular area. Its advanced, jim, you know, this is an enormous operation as turkey intends to have 18 miles of the corridor border area as was suggested by the eun. Maybe a smaller objective, we know that they pulled out of the syrian town where we were an hour ago on the other side of the turk border and there is another town which theyve also pulled back from, too. That is possibly where it begins. They are, themselves, an hours drive apart from each other. Vast difference here to be covered. As you know, turkeys military is the second largest, so very possibly they have the numbers here to do what they wish. The question is how long do they have the appetite for a potential certain insurgency against them. The syrian kurd us watching them fight isis. They complained about not having the heavy weapons, the armour they need to fight isis. That leaves them very poor to defend against an army with air power. I havent heard, but air power possibly backing them up, too. So while the syrian kurds i think have a mora ill to a homeland in northeastern syria, they havent certainly got the equipment. We are into a whole new phase sadly in syrias civil war. Many perhaps find it is beginning to find messy conclusions to the bloodshed. It seems now that turkey is long sought pushing back the syrian kurds that shed so much of the losses, took so much of the brunt of the blood shed when they fought isis back with u. S. Power, that turkey was pushing the u. S. Kurds back. They are riskinging now a possibility of u. S. Sanctions. Korean gulf with this president has announced on the way, poppy. Listen, turkey calls those Syrian Forces terrorists. Right. A reason to be skeptical of that, of course, is that the u. S. Fought alongside them fighting actual isis intelligence there. Tell us as you watch this people, the folks at home, this withdraw helps russia as well, does it not . Reporter oh, no doubt about that. Absolutely, yes. The key possible af that syrian kurds first turned to a syrian re gabe emin damascus. We havent seen concrete results. They are in russia, moscow, that turns this territory into a more favorable influence for russian influence, firmly. Of course, any point in the middle east weve seen when they first moved in when barack obama decided not to bomb when the Syrian Regime broke his line and used chemical weapons. Russia stepped in to a power vacuum. They will to do so again. In question about that. They find themselves in a far impossible position. I think they knew this moment was going to come. Donald trump trying to pull troops out in december of last year. He was convinced not to by his cabinet. But it appears he signals he wants to do that now. I should stress that u. S. Troops have left Northern Syria and positioned themselves in small numbers so as not to be caught in the cross fire. The message is clear the syrian kurds have to find new alliances here. That that will leave them furious. That itself the promise they have for support in the future and now facing the Turkish Militarys wrath. This is a vastly strategic part of the middle east. It spans between iran, iraq and israel. Its been the corridor through which the iranians are shipping to their allies north of israel. Pretty much anything which has been a problem in the past two decades in the middle east potentially extends back to here, particularly when it comes to u. S. Policy. I think theyve thrown another hand grenade into anyaer that is smoldering and rubble. Thank you for covering this as only cnn can. Thanks very much. All right. We will stay all over that. Lets talk about the syrian war with democratic congressman, a Senior Member on the house armed services. Thank yo