Adam Schiff Several White House officials on Monday told House Intel Chairman Adam Schiff to pound sand and didn’t show up for testim...
Adam Schiff
Several White House officials on Monday told House Intel Chairman Adam Schiff to pound sand and didn’t show up for testimony in the Dems’ Soviet-style impeachment inquiry.
Four Trump Administration officials who were scheduled to testify on Monday were a no-show.
Among the witnesses who were subpoenaed to testify include top White House attorney John Eisenberg and a top advisor to Mick Mulvaney.
The White House directed the four officials not to testify because the subpoenas were denying the witnesses the ability to bring administration lawyers in the hearing with them, reported the Wall Street Journal.
The officials who House committees had scheduled to testify in private session on Monday were Robert Blair, a senior adviser to acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney ; John Eisenberg, deputy counsel to the president for national security affairs; Michael Ellis, Mr. Eisenberg’s deputy; and Brian McCormack, an associate director at the White House budget office.On Sunday evening, the House Intelligence Committee issued subpoenas to Mr. Ellis and Mr. Blair.A lawyer for Mr. Blair didn’t respond to a request for comment. The Financial Times reported that the lawyer said the White House had directed his client not to testify. A lawyer for Mr. Ellis said he wouldn’t testify in response to the subpoena, citing the White House directive. The committees also subpoenaed Mr. Eisenberg, according to a letter from his lawyer, who said the White House had instructed him not to testify, arguing he was “immune” as a senior adviser to the president from compelled congressional deposition.
According to two ‘witnesses,’ two White House lawyers, John Eisenberg, the lead lawyer for the National Security Council, and Michael Ellis, a senior associate counsel to the president, took steps to ‘hide’ the Trump-Zelensky transcript for political reasons, reported the Associated Press.
According to testimony given by Alexander Vindman, the Trump-hating NatSec official who showed up to Schiff’s impeachment hearing in military dress, Eisenberg suggested moving the Trump-Zelensky call to the secure electronic system.
The secure system was put in place because Trump and his counsel knew they were surrounded by leakers and liars — it was reported by the New York Times that Vindman actually tried to alter the transcript of Trump’s phone call with Zelensky, but the electronic system blocked his attempt.
Schiff responded to the snub from White House officials and accused the Trump admin of wanting to delay, deny and obstruct his sham impeachment probe.
Schiff on witnesses not showing up for testimony today: They are not going to delay our work. The White House wants to delay, deny, obstruct.— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) November 4, 2019
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