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| What Happened Today in the Trump Impeachment Inquiry | |
| (about 16 hours later) | |
| This evening, the White House vowed in an eight-page letter to House Democratic leaders that it would not cooperate with the impeachment inquiry, which it said was “partisan and unconstitutional” and in violation of President Trump’s due process rights. | This evening, the White House vowed in an eight-page letter to House Democratic leaders that it would not cooperate with the impeachment inquiry, which it said was “partisan and unconstitutional” and in violation of President Trump’s due process rights. |
| The White House also blocked Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, from speaking with investigators, a decision Speaker Nancy Pelosi called an “abuse of power.” Mr. Sondland was one of the three envoys who discussed via text message a plan to secure the Ukrainian president’s commitment to investigate Mr. Trump’s rivals. | The White House also blocked Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, from speaking with investigators, a decision Speaker Nancy Pelosi called an “abuse of power.” Mr. Sondland was one of the three envoys who discussed via text message a plan to secure the Ukrainian president’s commitment to investigate Mr. Trump’s rivals. |
| Democrats in Congress have said they consider the failure to comply with their demands for information to be obstruction, a charge they say is itself worthy of impeachment. Even before the letter’s release, Representative Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said blocking Mr. Sondland from speaking was “strong evidence” of obstruction. | Democrats in Congress have said they consider the failure to comply with their demands for information to be obstruction, a charge they say is itself worthy of impeachment. Even before the letter’s release, Representative Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said blocking Mr. Sondland from speaking was “strong evidence” of obstruction. |
| This evening, Democrats subpoenaed Mr. Sondland for testimony and documents. Mr. Schiff said the State Department was withholding texts he had sent on a private device that were “deeply relevant” to the inquiry. | This evening, Democrats subpoenaed Mr. Sondland for testimony and documents. Mr. Schiff said the State Department was withholding texts he had sent on a private device that were “deeply relevant” to the inquiry. |
| [Sign up to get this Impeachment Briefing in your email inbox every weeknight.] | [Sign up to get this Impeachment Briefing in your email inbox every weeknight.] |
| The showdown today felt like the most dramatic clash yet between the branches of government. Are we in what some might call a “constitutional crisis”? Amy Fiscus, our national security editor, answered that question for me between conversations with her reporters about pursuing leads. | The showdown today felt like the most dramatic clash yet between the branches of government. Are we in what some might call a “constitutional crisis”? Amy Fiscus, our national security editor, answered that question for me between conversations with her reporters about pursuing leads. |
| “It’s not a constitutional crisis, because that involves a failure of the separation of powers: one of the three branches of government defying one of the others in a way that the Constitution doesn’t resolve. The easiest example is the White House or Congress refusing to follow a Supreme Court ruling. | “It’s not a constitutional crisis, because that involves a failure of the separation of powers: one of the three branches of government defying one of the others in a way that the Constitution doesn’t resolve. The easiest example is the White House or Congress refusing to follow a Supreme Court ruling. |
| This is more of a standoff, or a brawl. It’s the latest in a long line of fights between lawmakers and presidential administrations over information. Congress can’t do oversight without it. But administrations can’t function without keeping some presidential deliberations secret. What’s unusual here is that Mr. Trump has declared all-out war on oversight efforts and the impeachment inquiry, not just a refusal to share information about a particular issue.” | This is more of a standoff, or a brawl. It’s the latest in a long line of fights between lawmakers and presidential administrations over information. Congress can’t do oversight without it. But administrations can’t function without keeping some presidential deliberations secret. What’s unusual here is that Mr. Trump has declared all-out war on oversight efforts and the impeachment inquiry, not just a refusal to share information about a particular issue.” |
| Even some Republicans have privately been urging Mr. Trump to cooperate with the impeachment investigation. I stopped by the desk of my colleague Annie Karni, who covers the White House, to ask her about Mr. Trump’s defiance. | Even some Republicans have privately been urging Mr. Trump to cooperate with the impeachment investigation. I stopped by the desk of my colleague Annie Karni, who covers the White House, to ask her about Mr. Trump’s defiance. |
| Annie, you and Maggie Haberman wrote about anxiety in the West Wing over how to handle impeachment. Why has the president concluded that it’s better not to cooperate? | Annie, you and Maggie Haberman wrote about anxiety in the West Wing over how to handle impeachment. Why has the president concluded that it’s better not to cooperate? |
| This is not a criminal investigation, like the Mueller investigation was. This is a political process. And they’re leaning heavily into that idea with the eight-page letter the White House counsel sent tonight. We also see that in the polls: How people view Trump’s actions and the actions of House Democrats is split by party. | This is not a criminal investigation, like the Mueller investigation was. This is a political process. And they’re leaning heavily into that idea with the eight-page letter the White House counsel sent tonight. We also see that in the polls: How people view Trump’s actions and the actions of House Democrats is split by party. |
| We also already know how this story almost certainly ends: Mr. Trump is not going to be convicted by the Senate. Does it matter for him whether there are one or two charges? His, and the White House’s, calculation is: no. | We also already know how this story almost certainly ends: Mr. Trump is not going to be convicted by the Senate. Does it matter for him whether there are one or two charges? His, and the White House’s, calculation is: no. |
| But isn’t that kind of resistance just going to harden Democrats’ belief that there’s some kind of cover-up? | But isn’t that kind of resistance just going to harden Democrats’ belief that there’s some kind of cover-up? |
| Some witnesses could be really bad for the president, so the White House wants to have a broad position that they’re not going to play along. There were differing opinions internally about the case of Sondland, who some people thought would have had a story to tell that would have been helpful to Trump. But they ultimately decided — really late at night — that their position was about something broader. | Some witnesses could be really bad for the president, so the White House wants to have a broad position that they’re not going to play along. There were differing opinions internally about the case of Sondland, who some people thought would have had a story to tell that would have been helpful to Trump. But they ultimately decided — really late at night — that their position was about something broader. |
| Remember when they decided to release the transcript of Trump’s call with Ukraine’s president? In that case, they clearly made the opposite calculation: Looking like we’re hiding something is worse than the facts in the transcript, which were pretty bad. Now, they’ve basically decided that looking like they’re hiding something is better than looking like they’re cooperating with what they’re calling an illegitimate investigation. House Democrats have only had one witness so far, Kurt Volker, and look how much House Democrats got! They have in writing that there could have been a quid pro quo. What else could they find with even just one more? | Remember when they decided to release the transcript of Trump’s call with Ukraine’s president? In that case, they clearly made the opposite calculation: Looking like we’re hiding something is worse than the facts in the transcript, which were pretty bad. Now, they’ve basically decided that looking like they’re hiding something is better than looking like they’re cooperating with what they’re calling an illegitimate investigation. House Democrats have only had one witness so far, Kurt Volker, and look how much House Democrats got! They have in writing that there could have been a quid pro quo. What else could they find with even just one more? |
| A White House official who listened to Mr. Trump’s July phone call with Ukraine’s president described it as “crazy,” “frightening,” and “completely lacking in substance related to national security,” according to a memo written by a whistle-blower at the center of the Ukraine scandal. | A White House official who listened to Mr. Trump’s July phone call with Ukraine’s president described it as “crazy,” “frightening,” and “completely lacking in substance related to national security,” according to a memo written by a whistle-blower at the center of the Ukraine scandal. |
| Senator Lindsey Graham said he would invite Rudy Giuliani, who led the push for Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and embraced unfounded conspiracy theories about the 2016 election and Ukrainian corruption, to testify in the Senate. | Senator Lindsey Graham said he would invite Rudy Giuliani, who led the push for Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and embraced unfounded conspiracy theories about the 2016 election and Ukrainian corruption, to testify in the Senate. |
| Two new polls show growing support for the impeachment investigation. A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll found that 55 percent of Americans approve of the inquiry, while a Washington Post-Schar School poll concluded that the number was 58 percent — the most support any poll has found so far. The Post highlighted that 28 percent of Republicans now support the inquiry. | Two new polls show growing support for the impeachment investigation. A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll found that 55 percent of Americans approve of the inquiry, while a Washington Post-Schar School poll concluded that the number was 58 percent — the most support any poll has found so far. The Post highlighted that 28 percent of Republicans now support the inquiry. |
| Our graphics team has worked up this handy visual guide to the evidence has been collected in the inquiry, and what’s been requested: | Our graphics team has worked up this handy visual guide to the evidence has been collected in the inquiry, and what’s been requested: |
| The Impeachment Briefing is also sent as an email newsletter every weeknight. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. | The Impeachment Briefing is also sent as an email newsletter every weeknight. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. |