Impeachment inquiry week in review: Oct. 7 thru Oct. 13
MONDAY, Oct. 7 — Three House committees leading the impeachment inquiry subpoenaed documents from the Pentagon and the Office of Management and Budget.
TUESDAY, Oct. 8 — The White House said it would not cooperate with the House impeachment inquiry, with White House Counsel Pat Cipollone writing in a letter to Democratic House leaders that the inquiry is “constitutionally invalid.”
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 9 — Former vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said at a New Hampshire campaign rally that Trump must be impeached. Vice President Mike Pence said he would release transcripts of his phone calls with Ukrainian president Volodomyr Zelenskiy; former South Carolina Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy joined Trump legal’s team.
THURSDAY, Oct. 10 — Two associates of Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, were indicted in New York along with businessmen David Correia and Andrey Kukushkin. All were charged with conspiracy and financial fraud related to both Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign; prosecutors said Parnas and Fruman participated in efforts to get Ukrainian officials to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter. The indictment also said an unnamed congressman helped to oust former ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch; the AP and other outlets named the congressman as former Texas Republican Rep. Pete Sessions based on campaign finance records.
FRIDAY, Oct. 11 — Yovanovitch, under subpoena, testified behind closed doors in front of three House committees leading the impeachment probe. In prepared remarks that were obtained by the media, she denied having ever pressured anyone to “refrain from investigating or prosecuting actual corruption.” She also said then-Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan told her there had been “a concerted campaign against me” within the White House since summer 2018. She said Sullivan told her she “had done nothing wrong.” A bipartisan letter signed by 27 national security officials urged Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to defend Yovanovitch. The New York Times reported Giuliani is under investigation by federal prosecutors in New York for allegedly violating lobbying rules.
SATURDAY, Oct. 12 — Nothing of note.
SUNDAY, Oct. 13 — Hunter Biden stepped down from his role as an unpaid board member of Chinese investment company BHR.