The latest on the Trump impeachment inquiry

Our live coverage on the impeachment probe has moved. Follow the latest updates here.

CNN’s Martin Savidge asks voters in Florida, a key swing state, whether the ongoing impeachment inquiry has affected their opinion of President Donald Trump.

Watch the video below:

Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, is facing an investigation by federal prosecutors into whether his involvement with Ukraine violated federal lobbying laws, The New York Times reported on Friday.

Citing two people familiar with the inquiry, the paper builds on CNN’s previous reporting on Thursday that Giuliani’s financial dealings with two associates indicted on campaign finance-related charges were under scrutiny by investigators overseeing the case. Law enforcement officials briefed on the matter told CNN that the FBI and prosecutors in Manhattan are examining Giuliani’s involvement in the broader flow of money that has become the focus of alleged violations that are at the center of the charges against Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman. 

Both people familiar with the inquiry told the Times that the investigation into Giuliani was tied to that of Fruman and Parnas. One of the people told the Times that investigators are looking into Giuliani’s attempts to subvert Marie Yovanovitch, the former American ambassador to Ukraine. 

A spokeswoman for Geoffrey Berman, the US attorney in Manhattan, declined to comment to the Times.

Read more here

President Trump questioned why the US government is protecting the whistleblower whose complaint sparked House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry.

“Why are we protecting a person that tells things that weren’t true,” Trump told a crowd tonight, even though many of the whistleblower’s allegations have been corroborated by other evidence, including the White House transcript of Trump’s call with Ukraine’s president.

Trump’s comment came as he once again claimed exoneration in his dealings with Ukraine, insisting that he did nothing wrong in pressing Ukraine’s president to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.

In what appears to be a new campaign theme, President Trump repeated his claim that the impeachment inquiry is a response to Democrats not being able to beat him in the next election, adding “so they’re pursing an illegal, invalid and unconstitutional bullshit impeachment.” 

Trump’s remarks drew loud applause from the crowd in Lake Charles, Louisiana. 

He went on to say the impeachment inquiry is a “con job,” adding that it should “never be allowed to happen again.” 

Trump then repeated his false claim that he released a transcript of his call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, when in fact, it is not a verbatim transcript of the document. 

President Trump once again attacked Hunter and Joe Biden at his rally in Lake Charles, Louisiana repeating his new favorite slogan: “Where’s Hunter?”

“Where’s Hunter? Last night I said Where’s hunter?” Trump laughed.

“It became like the hottest thing in the whole country,” the President said of his remarks at his Thursday rally in Minneapolis. 

Trump then went into his same claims about Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings, saying that he “knows nothing about energy unlike the people in this room.”

The President then went into a tirade against the media for repeating that claims against the Bidens are unsubstantiated — when in fact, there is no evidence of wrongdoing by either Biden. 

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff speaks with reporters after meeting with former US ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch on Capitol Hill on Oct. 11, 2019, in Washington.

Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, briefly spoke to reporters after ex-ambassador Marie Yovanovitch’s deposition ended.

Schiff called Yovanovitch a “model diplomat” and expressed gratitude and “appreciation” for her coming to testify before members today. 

Schiff continued: “I think she is a courageous example for others, and I think all the members were extraordinarily impressed with her testimony today.” 

“We will continue to talk to witnesses, not withstanding the administration’s consistent efforts to obstruct our investigation,” he added.

Schiff said any of the administration’s efforts to prevent witnesses from obeying lawful congressional subpoenas will be deemed “acts of obstruction and add to a body of evidence that continues to grow that the President is violating the constitutional separation of powers.”

A source familiar with the testimony said that former US ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch provided lawmakers with more details about the campaign Rudy Giuliani and his associates were orchestrating to remove her as ambassador. 

Yovanovitch told lawmakers that she heard from officials within the Ukrainian government that Giuliani was going around trashing her and making stuff up about her, according to the source. 

At the time, she didn’t have a clear picture of what Giuliani was up to, the source added, but she’s learned more recently about his efforts as new details have emerged.

Multiple sources said that Yovanovitch was not familiar with details about the freezing of Ukraine aid and setting up a meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky because she had been removed before those efforts were underway.

Sources from both parties said the opening statement that was reported near the beginning of her appearance today was the most revelatory part of her testimony.

Former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch (C) leaves the US Capitol on Oct. 11, 2019 after testifying behind closed doors.

Marie Yovanovitch, the former US ambassador to Ukraine, testified for nearly 10 hours before lawmakers at a closed-door deposition.

She would not answer when asked if the President should be impeached and she wouldn’t say whether she’s concerned about retaliation.

Rep. Denny Heck speaks with reporters as he departs a meeting with former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch on Capitol Hill on Oct. 11, 2019 in Washington.

Rep. Denny Heck, a Democrat from Washington, described former US ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch’s testimony before lawmakers today as “powerful.”

He said Yovanovitch’s hours-long deposition today “went like a New York second.”

“It was that amazing, that powerful, that impactful,” he said.

What we know: Yovanovitch told congressional investigators she believed she had been removed because of “unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives,” a reference to the effort led by President Trump’s personal attorney and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his associates to remove her as ambassador, according to a copy of her statement obtained by The Washington Post and The New York Times.

Rudy Giuliani is still President Trump’s personal attorney but will not be dealing with matters involving Ukraine, a source close to Trump’s legal team told CNN.

Earlier today, Trump wouldn’t say whether Giuliani was still his personal attorney.

“Well I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to Rudy. I spoke to him yesterday briefly. He’s a very good attorney and he has been my attorney, yeah, sure,” he told CNN.

Asked later by CNN if he was still Trump’s attorney, Giuliani responded, Yes.”

However, Ukraine is at the center of the current impeachment investigation being conducted by the House of Representatives into Trump. Also, the criminal indictment against two of Giuliani’s associates who were arrested Wednesday night trying to leave the US, describe an elaborate, months-long scheme to funnel foreign money into federal and state elections around the US to curry favor with politicians on behalf of at least one Ukrainian government official and a Russian businessman.

CNN’s Michael Warren and Fredreka Schouten contributed to this report.

A new letter that has been signed by 27 former foreign service and national security officials calls on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to defend and support former US ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, according to a former national security official. 

The letter, sent to Pompeo on Oct. 1, was signed by a bipartisan list that includes names like Tony Blinken, Eric Edelman, Nic Burns and Jake Sullivan. The letter stated Yovanovitch’s performance and “leadership have been exemplary.”

The letter goes on to say:

The letter writers asked that “such language and the broader attack on Ambassador Yovanovitch” be “condemned unequivocally” by Pompeo. 

President Trump wouldn’t say whether the whistleblower should be fired when asked today by CNN.

What we know: The whistleblower’s complaint alleged the President abused his official powers “to solicit interference” from Ukraine in the upcoming 2020 election, and that the White House took steps to cover it up. Trump has denied doing anything improper.

A White House-released transcript of the call revealed Trump asked Ukraine’s President to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden — Trump’s potential 2020 Democratic rival — and his son, Hunter. There is no evidence of wrongdoing by either Joe or Hunter Biden.

On a caucus call that is still ongoing, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said they have to take the impeachment inquiry seriously and that it’s not a celebration.

She added that they have to focus on their domestic agenda in addition to the impeachment inquiry.

During the call, Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, gave a presentation about the ongoing impeachment investigation, though two sources said it was on the public information that is already out there.

He didn’t discuss any details from former US ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch’s testimony today. Schiff also offered praise to the witnesses who have come forward over White House objections.

Rep. Cheri Bustos, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, also discussed how to frame the impeachment messaging, saying it should be tied to the rule of law and corruption — but not tied to Russia since that can be a confusing message to voters, the sources said. She told them to keep talking about kitchen table issues as well.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested today that the Ukraine inquiry, which has spurred an impeachment investigation, is a Democratic conspiracy to take down President Trump.

“I think the only ones who think [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky was pressured are a handful of folks in the media and a bunch of folks on Capitol Hill, the Democratic Party, who are trying to take down this President,” he told The Tennessean.

Asked about his cooperation with the impeachment inquiry, Pompeo reiterated that “we’re cooperating to the maximum extent required by law.”

Pompeo then reiterated that he found Trump’s call with Zelensky to be totally appropriate.

President Trump appeared to distance himself from his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani today.

Asked by CNN’s Pamela Brown whether Giuliani was still his attorney, Trump said, “I don’t know.”

Trump said he spoke with Giuliani briefly on Thursday, and said he was a “good lawyer.”

CNN reported earlier today that Trump is expressing concerns about Giuliani in private.

President Trump said the ambassador he ousted from Ukraine may be a “wonderful woman” but that he doesn’t know her.

Speaking to reporters at the White House today, Trump said it was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky who did not like Marie Yovanovitch.

Trump repeated his criticism of the intelligence whistleblower and the Bidens.

More context: On the July 25 phone call between Trump and Zelensky, in which Trump urged him to investigate the Bidens, Trump disparaged his former ambassador, saying she was “bad news and the people she was dealing with in the Ukraine were bad news so I just want to let you know that,” according to a rough transcript released by the White House. “I agree with you 100%” Zelensky responded.

CNN’s Jim Sciutto looks at former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch’s deposition and more in the latest episode of “The Daily DC: Impeachment Watch” podcast.

Yovanovitch, who met with lawmakers behind closed doors today, said she believed she had been removed because of “unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives,” a reference to the effort led by President Trump’s personal attorney and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his associates to remove her as ambassador.

In today’s podcast, Sciutto also covers:

Sciutto is joined by former federal prosecutor Jennifer Rodgers and Harry Enten, senior writer and analyst for CNN Politics.

Listen to the podcast here.

Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, released a letter announcing that the impeachment inquiry is moving with a sense of “urgency.”

He also said there will be more witnesses, they may issue more subpoenas, and they have made progress in probe.

Here’s an excerpt from Schiff’s letter:

Senior White House adviser Stephen Miller speaks to members of the media during a news conference outside the White House on Oct. 11.

Senior White House adviser Stephen Miller got into a shouting match with reporters over legitimacy of the White House’s criticisms about the Bidens’ ties to Ukraine.

On Hunter Biden, Miller shouted at a reporter that the Biden son’s work and pay for a Ukraine energy company was “substantiated.”

Asked why the President wouldn’t task the Department of Justice with an investigation into Joe Biden, Miller said, “I’m not going to get into what the DOJ is or isn’t investigating.”

He added that he thinks the media “should be grateful” to Rudy Giuliani for “helping shine a light on” Biden.

Miller also said he doesn’t know who the intelligence community whistleblower is, but he criticized the whistleblower for being a partisan. He claimed the whistleblower’s letter was “soaked” in partisan language.

He said he encounters bureaucrats every day who “hate the President” and are “enmeshed in the federal bureaucracy” and “who are using their position in the civil service to obstruct the results of a Democratic election.”

“It happens every single day,” he added.

He then went back to shouting, “If you are naïve enough to believe that the federal civil service engages in no partisan behavior on a daily basis, I surely can’t help you!”