The latest: House Democrats subpoenaed the White House this evening as part of the impeachment investigation into President Trump. The White House said the “subpoena changes nothing — just more document requests, wasted time, and taxpayer dollars that will ultimately show the President did nothing wrong.”
Another whistleblower emerges: A second intelligence official with concerns and more direct knowledge regarding President Trump’s dealings with Ukraine is considering filing a whistleblower complaint, The New York Times reported late tonight.
Joe Biden reacts to Trump: The Democratic presidential candidate grew visibly angry as he was asked to defend his son, Hunter Biden. Joe Biden slammed Trump, saying, “He’s indicted himself by his own statements, this is not about me it’s not about my son.”
Kurt Volker did not resign: A spokesperson for Arizona State University told CNN that the former US special envoy to Ukraine is still the executive director of the McCain Institute.
Our live coverage has ended, but you can scroll through the posts to read more.
Updates
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New York Times: 2nd intelligence official might submit whistleblower complaint
The Times’ report, citing two people briefed on the matter, comes as House Democrats ratchet up their impeachment inquiry centered on Trump’s July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky by issuing a subpoena to the White House and a documents request to Vice President Mike Pence.
The second official is one of the people interviewed by Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson in his efforts to confirm the initial complaint, one of the people told the Times. It is unclear whether Atkinson mentioned the second official’s potential complaint in his closed-door briefing on Friday with lawmakers explaining how he corroborated the initial whistleblower’s complaint, which alleged that Trump had pressured Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden – Trump’s potential Democratic rival – and Biden’s son Hunter. There is no evidence of wrongdoing in Ukraine by Joe or Hunter Biden.
A more direct complaint could draw greater scrutiny to Trump’s attacks discrediting the original complaint as composed of secondhand information. The President has said he wants to meet not only the whistleblower, “who presented SECOND & THIRD HAND INFORMATION, but also the person who illegally gave this information, which was largely incorrect, to the ‘Whistleblower.’ “
More context: Last week, Trump also described whoever had provided the whistleblower with information about his call with the Ukrainian President as “close to a spy,” adding that in the old days spies were dealt with differently.
In a rare statement released Monday, Atkinson addressed the false claim pushed by Trump and some of his allies on Capitol Hill that the whistleblower lacked firsthand knowledge of the conduct outlined in the complaint and therefore the allegations were based on “hearsay.” The statement made clear that the whistleblower was not simply communicating secondhand knowledge.
Trump has openly called on Ukraine and China to investigate the Bidens, asserting on Thursday that he has the “absolute right” to ask “other Countries” to investigate corruption, amid escalating scrutiny over his interactions with foreign leaders.
There’s no evidence that the former vice president received any money from China, and a lawyer for Hunter Biden has pushed back on Trump’s characterization, calling it “a gross misrepresentation.”
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Mike Pompeo fails to meet House subpoena deadline to produce Ukraine documents
From CNN's Zachary Cohen
Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo failed to meet the House’s subpoena deadline to produce Ukraine related documents today.
Some more context: GordonSondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, is scheduled to testify before three House committees on Tuesday, two congressional sources tell CNN. The ambassador is mentioned in a series of text messages between US diplomats and a Ukrainian aide.
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Joe Biden calls Trump "unhinged" in new ad
From CNN's Eric Bradner
Joe Biden’s presidential campaign says President Trump is “lying about the one Democrat he doesn’t want to face” in the first new spot to be included in the former vice president’s $6 million broadcast and digital advertising push across the four early-voting states.
The 30-second ad, titled “Unhinged,” focuses on Biden’s response to Trump’s public and private efforts to get foreign governments to investigate Biden and his son Hunter.
There is no evidence of wrongdoing by the Bidens.
The ad will run in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.
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Julian Castro claims Trump is trying to smear Biden by "using false accusations"
From CNN's Sarah Mucha
Mario Tama/Getty Images
Speaking with reporters in Los Angeles, Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro said that President Trump is taking an “honest and honorable” public servant and trying to muddy his reputation, talking about former Vice President Joe Biden.
Some background: Kurt Volker, the former US special envoy to Ukraine, was the first witness to appear before three congressional committees and to be deposed on the whistleblower complaint, which alleges that Trump tried to pressure Ukraine to investigate Biden and his son Hunter.
Joe Biden grew visibly angry today as he was asked to defend his son, Hunter Biden. Instead, Biden slammed Trump, saying, “He’s indicted himself by his own statements, this is not about me it’s not about my son.”
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4 things to know tonight about the impeachment inquiry
Rep. Adam Schiff (L), chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, walks to a meeting with the inspector general of the intelligence community at the US Capitol on Oct. 4, 2019 in Washington, DC.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
House Democrats continued to move forward with their impeachment inquiry into President Trump today.
Here are the latest developments:
White House subpoenaed: House Democrats subpoenaed the White House this evening as part of the impeachment investigation into Trump. The White House said the “subpoena changes nothing — just more document requests, wasted time, and taxpayer dollars that will ultimately show the President did nothing wrong.” (You can read the subpoena here.)
Gordon Sondland testifies next week: The US ambassador to the European Union is scheduled to testify before three House committees on Tuesday, two congressional sources tell CNN. The ambassador is mentioned in a series of text messages between US diplomats and a Ukrainian aide.
Joe Biden reacts to Trump: The former vice president and Democratic presidential candidate grew visibly angry as he was asked to defend his son, Hunter Biden. Instead, Joe Biden slammed Trump, saying, “He’s indicted himself by his own statements, this is not about me it’s not about my son.”
Kurt Volker did not resign: A spokesperson for Arizona State University told CNN that the former US special envoy to Ukraine is still the executive director of the McCain Institute. CNN reported earlier today that Volker was planning to resign, according to a source familiar with the matter. Volker met with staff of the institute this afternoon and two sources familiar with the meeting tell CNN that Volker did not resign in a staff meeting and said he has no imminent plans to resign.
The White House has released a statement in response to the decision by House Democrats to subpoena the administration earlier tonight.
More on the subpoena: The three chair overseeing the investigation — House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel and House Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings — expressed their regret over the position the President has placed them and the country in.
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White House subpoenaed in impeachment inquiry
The three chairmen overseeing the investigation into President Trump’s phone call with Ukraine’s leader and the impeachment hearings have subpoenaed the White House.
In a statement, the three chairmen leading the probe — House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel and House Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings — wrote, “We deeply regret that President Trump has put us — and the nation — in this position, but his actions have left us with no choice but to issue this subpoena.”
Some background: Earlier this week, Democrats told the White House to expect subpoenas related to the Ukraine matter.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not yet held a full vote in the House approving of the impeachment inquiry. Trump’s allies have argued that means the process has not formally begun.
Pelosi said in a letter Thursday to House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy there “is no requirement under the Constitution, under House Rules, or House precedent that the whole House vote before proceeding with an impeachment inquiry.”
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EU ambassador Gordon Sondland expected to testify next week
From CNN's Jeremy Herb and Alex Rogers
Gordon Sondland, the United States Ambassador to the European Union, speaks at the US Embassy to Romania on Sept. 5, 2019.
DANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP/Getty Images
US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland is scheduled to testify before three House committees on Tuesday, two congressional sources tell CNN.
Sondland is expected to attend, one of the sources said.
He had originally been scheduled for later next week.
What we know about Sondland: The ambassador is mentioned in a series of text messages between US diplomats and a Ukrainian aide. The messages, which were released last night, show how a potential Ukrainian investigation into the 2016 election was linked to a desired meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Trump.
In one exchange, Sondland seemed to downplay the concerns raised by his counterpart in Kiev.
“Gordon, one thing Kurt and I talked about yesterday was Sasha Danyliuk’s point that President Zelenskyy is sensitive about Ukraine being taken seriously, not merely as an instrument in Washington domestic, reelection politics,” Ambassador William “Bill” Taylor, the charge d’affaires at the US Embassy in Kiev, wrote on July 21.
Sondland replied, “Absolutely, but we need to get the conversation started and the relationship built, irrespective of the pretext.”
On September 1, Taylor raised a question about the conditions upon which the aid was stalled and a White House visit by Zelensky would be predicated.
“Are we now saying that security assistance and WH meeting conditioned on investigations?” Taylor asked.
“Call me,” Sondland replied.
Sondland has been the ambassador to the European Union since late June 2018.
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Podcast: CNN's political director analyzes a series of text messages between US diplomats and a senior Ukrainian aide
CNN Political Director David Chalian analyzes a series of text messages between US diplomats and a senior Ukrainian aide in the first episode of “The Daily DC: Impeachment Watch” podcast.
The text messages, which were released last night, show how a potential Ukrainian investigation into the 2016 election was linked to a desired meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump.
Chalian is joined by CNN National Correspondent Athena Jones and New York Times White House Correspondent and CNN Political Analyst Maggie Haberman.
Biden reacts to Trump comments: "He's indicted himself by his own statements"
John Locher/AP
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden reacted to President Trump’s recent comments regarding him and his son Hunter’s alleged overseas dealings.
Some context: Trump has repeatedly claimed that Hunter Biden has engaged in nefarious behavior overseas.
“Biden is corrupt, his son is corrupt,” Trump said today. “His son takes out billions of dollars, billions, and he has no experience.”
Trump has repeatedly accused both Bidens of corruption involving China and Ukraine. There is no evidence of wrongdoing by the Bidens.
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Kurt Volker is still executive director of McCain Institute, official says
A spokesperson for Arizona State University tells CNN this afternoon that Kurt Volker is still the executive director of the McCain Institute and that there is nothing to announce.
Volker met with staff of the institute this afternoon and two sources familiar with the meeting tell CNN that Volker did not resign in a staff meeting and said he has no imminent plans to resign.
CNN reported earlier today that Volker was planning to resign, according to a source familiar with the matter.
One of the sources who was in the room for the staff meeting at the McCain Institute said that Volker told staff he had seen the reports about his resignation, but the source said Volker said that they were premature or presumptuous and that he had had no immediate plans to resign. Volker wanted to keep doing the job, but recognized that there were conversations going on with people he reports to and that he might have to step away from the role. Volker said it was whatever is best for the McCain Institute, the source said.
The source said that Volker had opened up the meeting with a short summary of what he’d been up to the past few days. The source said there was a general feeling that the staff wanted him to stay, and staff didn’t express concerns during the meeting about the events of the past two weeks affecting the institute’s work.
About Volker: He was the first witness to appear before three congressional committees and to be deposed on the whistleblower complaint, which alleges that President Trump tried to pressure Ukraine to investigate his Democratic rival Joe Biden.
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White House letter regarding request for information may come Monday
From CNN's Jim Acosta
The White House letter regarding House Democrats’ request for information related to the impeachment inquiry may come Monday, a source familiar said.
The source said there’s some internal debate over whether to release it now.
Some background: Earlier this week, Democrats told the White House to expect subpoenas related to the Ukraine matter.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not yet held a full vote in the House approving of the impeachment inquiry. Trump’s allies have argued that means the process has not formally begun.
Pelosi said in a letter Thursday to House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy there “is no requirement under the Constitution, under House Rules, or House precedent that the whole House vote before proceeding with an impeachment inquiry.”
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Mike Pence's office criticizes request for documents related to impeachment inquiry
From CNN's Kaitlan Collins
DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images
Vice President Mike Pence’s office criticized a letter it received today calling for documents relating to the ongoing impeachment inquiry.
His press secretary Katie Waldman said the letter “does not appear to be a serious request but just another attempt by the do nothing Democrats to call attention to their partisan impeachment.”
Read Waldman’s full statement below:
Some background: When President Trump was asked if the White House would comply with subpoenas for information related to the impeachment inquiry, he said “that’s up to the lawyers.” Democrats have have warned the White House and Trump administration against interfering with the probe.
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Soon: Trump speaks at Young Black Leadership Summit
President Trump will be speak at Turning Point USA’s Young Black Leadership Summit this afternoon at 4:30 p.m. ET, according to the White House schedule.
It’s unclear if President Trump will address the impeachment inquiry during his remarks.
According to the summit’s website, attendees of the three-day event “will hear from some of the nation’s most well-known conservative leaders and activists, receive first-class professional development and leadership training, and network with other attendees and organizations from all across the country.”
Turning Point USA is a conservative advocacy group.
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House committees ask Pence to turn over Ukraine documents
From CNN's Jeremy Herb
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
The chairmen of the House Intelligence, Oversight and Foreign Affairs committees have written to Vice President Mike Pence asking that he turn over Ukraine-related documents by Oct. 15.
The chairmen said in the letter that the recent reports about Pence include: “Specific references to a member of your staff who may have participated directly in the July 25, 2019, call, documents you may have obtained or reviewed, including the record of the call, and your September 1, 2019, meeting with the Ukrainian president in Warsaw, during which you reportedly discussed the administration’s hold on US security assistance to Ukraine.”
What is this about: CNN reported this week that Pence was told about the July 25 call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the day after the call happened.
However, the sources would not say whether in that conversation Pence was told what Trump said about former Vice President Joe Biden and his son. A third source said the vice president was not briefed on Biden, but did say information about the call was made available to him.
The three sources familiar confirm Pence was provided a transcript of Trump’s call with Zelensky in his briefing book the day after the call.
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5 things happening with the impeachment inquiry
Kurt Volker
Jose Luis Magana/AP
News regarding President Trump and the Ukraine controversy continues to trickle out, with the President claiming his efforts are intended to end corruption, “even if that means requesting the help of a foreign country.”
If you’re just tuning in, here are the key developments:
Subpoenas shrouded in uncertainty: When asked if the White House would comply with subpoenas for information pertaining to the impeachment inquiry, President Trump said “that’s up to the lawyers.” Democrats have have warned the White House and Trump administration against interfering with the probe.
The text messages: A series of text messages between US diplomats and a senior Ukrainian aide were released last night. They show how a potential Ukrainian investigation into the 2016 election was linked to a desired meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump.
Lawmaker calls for impeachment vote: Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, said he wants House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to call a vote on impeachment.
Kurt Volker is expected to resign: The former US special envoy to Ukraine is expected to resign today as the executive director of the McCain Institute, according to a source. The resignation is an effort to make sure that the institute is not effected by all to the Ukraine controversy, the source added.
Inspector general provides documents showing efforts to corroborate whistleblower complaint
From CNN's Lauren Fox and Jeremy Herb
The intelligence community inspector general provided documents to the House Intelligence Committee showing how he attempted to corroborate the whistleblower’s complaint alleging President Trump solicited foreign interference to dig up dirt on his political opponent, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
Intelligence community Inspector General Michael Atkinson briefed the House Intelligence panel behind closed doors today about the whistleblower complaint, two weeks after he had appeared before the same committee before the complaint was released.
The sources added that Atkinson’s testimony mostly covered the process of corroborating the complaint.
A House intelligence spokesman declined to comment.
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How Fox News covered Trump's remarks on the Ukraine controversy
From CNN's Oliver Darcy
Fox News continues to cover President Trump’s Ukraine (and now China) scandal in different ways than reputable news organizations.
A perfect example occurred today as Trump was answering questions from reporters on the South Lawn of the White House.
CNN’s chyron read, “Trump Speaks After Damning Texts Reveal Administration’s Efforts to Pressure Ukraine.”
But Fox’s chyron, however, was much more favorable to the President, peddling one of his talking points. It read, “Trump: We Are Looking For Corruption.”
It’s only one small example of how the network has pushed the White House’s messaging as Trump finds himself ensnared in controversy.
See the moment:
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Kurt Volker is expected to resign from McCain Institute
From CNN's Kylie Atwood
Zach Gibson/Getty Images
Kurt Volker, the former US special envoy to Ukraine, is expected to resign today as the executive director of the McCain Institute, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The source said it is an effort to make sure that the institute is not effected by all to the Ukraine controversy. Volker initially did not want to resign but has concluded it was the best thing for the institute.
About Volker: He was the first witness to appear before three congressional committees and to be deposed on the whistleblower complaint, which alleges that President Trump tried to pressure Ukraine to investigate his Democratic rival Joe Biden.
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What Republican House members are saying about the intelligence inspector general's briefing
From CNN's Jason Hoffman and Kristen Holmes
Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) speaks before the House Select Committee on Intelligence on Sept. 26, 2019 in Washington, DC.
Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images
Reps. John Ratcliffe and Chris Stewart, both Republicans, just came out of the closed-door House Intelligence Committee briefing with Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson.
Sticking to the Republican talking points, both members attacked House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff and his handling of the whistleblower process.
Ratcliff said Schiff, “should be disqualified from running an investigation where his committee, members or staff, are fact witnesses about contact with the whistleblower, and the whistleblower process”.
Stewart added that everything being discussed today comes down to “one sentence, in one phone call.”
