Key facts and latest news
- Attorney General William Barr and the president asked foreign officials for help investigating the origin of the Mueller probe.
- Three House committees subpoenaed Rudy Giuliani for documents about his dealings with Ukraine, and sent letter requesting documents from three business associates.
- In a July phone call, President Trump urged the president of Ukraine to open an investigation targeting Joe Biden.
- Soon after the call, White House officials moved a record of the call to a highly classified computer system, severely restricting who could access it.
Washington — A series of rapid-fire developments brought the House impeachment inquiry into clearer focus Monday afternoon, with Democrats issuing new demands for evidence and new revelations about the circumstances of the president’s call with Ukraine coming to light.
Just before 4 p.m., three House committees announced they had subpoenaed Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer, for documents related to his work on behalf of President Trump to persuade Ukraine to open an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden. The committees also requested material about Giuliani’s work to secure Ukraine’s cooperation into a Justice Department review of the origins of Robert Mueller’s Russia probe.
Shortly after the subpoena was announced, The Wall Street Journal reported Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was on the July 25 call between the president and the Ukrainian leader. CBS News has confirmed Pompeo was on the call.
The New York Times reported Mr. Trump had called the prime minister of Australia to request assistance in the Justice Department review. The call came at the behest of Attorney General William Barr.
A Justice Department official then told CBS News that Barr had asked Mr. Trump to reach out to a number of foreign officials to request their assistance in his review, which is being led by the U.S. attorney in Connecticut. A source familiar with the matter said Barr traveled to Italy as part of his effort, and The Washington Post reported he has also reached out to intelligence officials in the United Kingdom.
In the call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 25, Mr. Trump repeatedly asked him to work with Barr to pursue a fringe conspiracy theory about the origins of the 2016 U.S. counterintelligence investigation that would became the Mueller probe.
“I would like to have the Attorney General call you or your people and I would like you to get to the bottom of it,” Mr. Trump told Zelensky, according to the summary released by the White House.
It was in that conversation that Mr. Trump also urged Zelensky to open an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden, and said he would put him in touch with both Giuliani and Barr.
“There’s a lot of talk about Biden’s son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the Attorney General would be great,” the president said.
A Justice Department spokeswoman said last week that Barr was not aware of the call until several weeks after it took place, and had not discussed “anything relating to Ukraine with Rudy Giuliani.” The spokeswoman said the U.S. attorney conducting the 2016 review had received information from Ukrainian citizens, and that Barr “has yet to contact Ukraine in connection with this investigation.”
Later Monday night, the inspector general for the intelligence community issued a statement defending the whistleblower from critics, saying the individual acted appropriately and had first-hand knowledge of the events in question. — Stefan Becket
Warner says he concerned about threat to whistleblower’s life
6:40 a.m. Senator Mark Warner, Vice Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, tells CBS News’ Nancy Cordes that he’s concerned President Trump is putting the whistleblower’s life at risk as he continues to suggest he wants a meeting over social media with the so-called “spy.”
“I think this is a clear example of reprisal,” Warner told CBS. “I think the potential threat to this whistleblower’s life is a realistic concern.”
Warner’s comments come as Mr. Trump told reporters he was actively trying to uncover the whistleblower’s identity.
“Well, we’re trying to find out about a whistleblower, when you have a whistleblower that reports things that were incorrect,” the president said Monday. “As you know, and you probably now have figured it out, the statement I made to the president of Ukraine, a good man, a nice man, new, was perfect. It was perfect. But the whistleblower reported a totally different statement.”
Later Monday night, the inspector general for the intelligence community issued a statement defending the whistleblower from critics, saying the individual acted appropriately and had first-hand knowledge of the events in question.
Kiev mayor says Giuliani is one of the “most famous men in Ukraine”
6:15 a.m. Mayor of Kiev, Ukraine, Vitali Klitschko, says that President Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani needs no introduction in his country — that he’s one of the most “famous” men in Ukraine due to his business dealings. Klitschko is named in Giuliani’s congressional subpoena and is a long-time friend of the former New York City mayor.
He told CBS News that Giuliani never discussed former Vice President Joe Biden or Hunter Biden with him and never asked for his help in looking into election interference in 2016.
Klitschko told CBS that the two are “old friends” and Giuliani is “the best mayor in the world.” When we asked if Klitschko helped make introductions for him here in Ukraine he said Giuliani needs no introduction – he’s one of the most famous men in Ukraine.
He also denied that any money passed hands between the two, despite multiple reports to the contrary. Giuliani was reportedly “consulting” for Klitschko in the run up to his own election.
“I’m responsible not only for international politics, I’m mayor of Kiev, I’m responsible for my city and we need knowledge, we need experience from people [on] how to make our city much more successful, much more modern,” Klitschko explained when pressed about his relationship to the former mayor.
– Erin Lyall
Kurt Volker will appear before House Committees Thursday
10:43 p.m. Former U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Kurt Volker will testify in a deposition before three House committees Thursday, as noted in documents that were issued Friday by Congress, CBS News confirms, according to three sources, two of whom are Arizona State University officials. MSNBC first reported that he would appear Thursday.
Volker resigned from his position Friday after his name appeared in the whistleblower complaint, which alleged that he had gone to Kiev in late July, met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other Ukrainian political figures and advised them on “how to ‘navigate'” the demands Mr. Trump made of Zelensky.
The committees also scheduled depositions for other witnesses mentioned in the whistleblower complaint, but it is not yet clear whether they will appear. — Olivia Gazis and Nancy Cordes
Inspector general says whistleblower followed procedure when filing complaint
5:52 p.m.: The intelligence community inspector general concluded the whistleblower who filed a complaint involving the president’s Ukraine call acted appropriately and by the book, pushing back on insinuations by a number of Republicans that the individual didn’t follow federal rules for whistleblower disclosures.
“In summary, regarding the instant matter, the whistleblower submitted the appropriate Disclosure of Urgent Concern form that was in effect as of August 12, 2019, and had been used by the ICIG since May 24, 2018,” the inspector general’s office concluded Monday. “The whistleblower stated on the form that he or she possessed both first-hand and other information. The ICIG reviewed the information provided as well as other information gathered and determined that the complaint was both urgent and that it appeared credible.”
Some Republicans in the Senate are questioning why the intelligence community last year changed its rules allowing whistleblower protections for those who don’t necessarily have first-hand knowledge. Republicans have argued the whistleblower’s claims aren’t based on eyewitness testimony, even though the whistleblower’s complaint and the call summary with Ukraine’s president are consistent.
The inspector general’s office noted the whistleblower claimed to have both direct and second-hand knowledge of the matters detailed in the complaint. — Kathryn Watson
Barr and Trump asked foreign officials for help investigating origin of Russia probe
5:54 p.m.: Attorney General William Barr has asked Mr. Trump to reach out to a number of foreign officials to request assistance in the Department of Justice’s review of the origins of the Mueller probe, a department spokeswoman said Monday.
Barr asked Mr. Trump to call Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to alert him that the attorney general would be reaching out, a department official told CBS News. The New York Times first reported the two leaders had spoken.
John Durham, the U.S. attorney in Connecticut, is heading up a review of the FBI and CIA’s activities in 2016. The status of that review, which Barr ordered in May, is unclear at this time.
“Mr. Durham is gathering information from numerous sources, including a number of foreign countries. At Attorney General Barr’s request, the President has contacted other countries to ask them to introduce the Attorney General and Mr. Durham to appropriate officials,” Kerri Kupec, a Department of Justice spokeswoman, said in a statement.
The department official declined to say which other countries were involved. The Washington Post said the other countries included the United Kingdom, and a source familiar with the matter said Barr traveled to Italy last week to discuss the review.
The Justice Department official said other countries have been helpful in regards to the Durham review and said no “pressing” has been required to obtain their cooperation.
Mr. Trump continues to be frustrated by the Russia probe, which arguably posed the greatest threat to his presidency until the House launched its impeachment probe last week.
The Times reported the White House restricted access to a transcript of Mr. Trump’s call with the Australian prime minister, akin to what was done with records of his call with Ukraine’s president. — Clare Hymes and Kathryn Watson
Read earlier updates here.
