Four White House witnesses called before House committees on Monday as part of the impeachment inquiry of President Trump defied subpoenas by not showing up for their scheduled depositions.
Two officials — John Eisenberg, the lead attorney for the National Security Council, and Robert Blair, a top aide to acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney — skipped depositions scheduled for Monday morning by the House Intelligence, Oversight, and Foreign Affairs Committees.
National Security Council aide Michael Ellis and Office of Management and Budget aide Brian McCormack were scheduled for the afternoon, and they failed to show up as well.
Speaking to reporters early Monday afternoon, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., described the no-shows as “further evidence” for a possible obstruction of Congress charge against the president.
Schiff said the lack of cooperation indicates the testimony would have been “incriminating” toward President Trump.
Trump has limited officials’ cooperation with the probe, as he publicly rails against Democrats for how they’ve conducted it.
“What I said on the phone call with the Ukrainian President is ‘perfectly’ stated. There is no reason to call witnesses to analyze my words and meaning. This is just another Democrat Hoax that I have had to live with from the day I got elected (and before!). Disgraceful!” he tweeted Monday morning. – READ MORE