Key facts and latest news
- U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland will appear for a closed-door deposition on Tuesday, October 8, CBS News’ Olivia Gazis reports
- GOP Senator Ron Johnson said in a Wall Street Journal interview that the ambassador to the European Union had told him U.S. aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations
- A senior White House official tells CBS News that there are discussions within White House about the “upsides” of impeachment.
- Asked by a reporter whether he had asked any foreign leaders to investigate anyone who isn’t a political rival, Mr. Trump said he’d have to check on that.
- On Thursday, three House committees released a trove of material provided by the former special envoy to Ukraine, who testified for more than nine hours behind closed doors.
- The inspector general for the intelligence community is appearing before the House Intelligence Committee in a closed hearing.
- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed he was on a July call between Mr. Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which Trump urged Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden.
- Soon after the July call, White House officials moved a record of the call to a highly classified computer system, severely restricting who could access it.
Washington — U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland will appear for a closed-door deposition on Tuesday, October 8, CBS News reports. He’s the second individual to testify in the House impeachment inquiry, following Thursday’s testimony by Kurt Volker, the former special envoy to Ukraine.
Volker and Sondland, according to texts submitted by Volker to Congress, discussed a possible statement for Ukrainian president Zelensky to make announcing his commitment to fighting corruption and opening an investigation into Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company that put Hunter Biden on its board.
U.S. Sen Ron Johnson said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that Sondland told him this summer that aid to Ukraine was tied to investigating the Bidens.
The political ramifications of impeachment are the subject of ongoing discussions in the White House. A senior White House official tells CBS News that some think there are “upsides” to the impeachment inquiry and even impeachment itself.
Some are arguing that impeachment would rally the base and has the potential to be “another Kavanaugh,” referring to the contentious confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, which galvanized support for the president.
However, others inside White House are more concerned because “nobody can predict the impact of impeachment.” This group is cognizant that no president has ever stood for re-election after being impeached so there is no historical precedent.
CBS News has also obtained the prepared remarks former special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker delivered before Congress Thursday. Volker, the first witness in the impeachment inquiry against President Trump, told House members that he had grown concerned in May that a “negative narrative” about Ukraine was “reaching” President Trump.
Mr. Trump said that Ukraine was corrupt and filled with “terrible people,” and he claimed some of its officials had “tried to take me down.” Volker attributed this impression Mr. Trump had about Ukraine to the president’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.
Volker suggested that Giuliani seemed to have been influenced by his conversations with Ukraine’s then-Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko. It was Lutsenko, Volker noted, who said that some Ukrainians may have tried to meddle in U.S. elections. Lutsenko also alleged the Ukrainian energy company Burisma had tried to influence Biden by hiring his son. Volker told lawmakers the accusations against Biden have “no credibility.”
On Thursday, the House committees leading the impeachment inquiry released a trove of messages provided by Volker, who resigned abruptly last week. The messages show a concerted effort by U.S. diplomats to get the Ukrainian government to commit to opening investigations that would benefit President Trump politically.
In an interview published in the Wall Street Journal Friday, Wisconsin GOP Senator Ron Johnson said that at the end of August he heard of a possible quid pro quo involving Ukraine from the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland. He raised the question with Mr. Trump, who denied it with an expletive and said he “‘would never do that.'”
This morning, a reporter asked Mr. Trump if he had ever asked a foreign leader for help in investigating anyone who was not a political rival. He replied that he’d have to check on that.
Follow along for live updates.
White House is considering “upsides” of impeachment
2:56 p.m.: A senior White House official tells CBS News that there are discussions within White House about the “upsides” of impeachment. This official says that some have argued impeachment would rally the base and has the potential to be “another Kavanaugh,” referring to the contentious confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, which galvanized support for the president.
Some in the White House think that Democrats’ focus on impeachment may repel independent voters who want to see action on kitchen-table issues.
However, another faction inside White House is more concerned because “nobody can predict the impact of impeachment.” This group is aware that no president has ever stood for re-election after being impeached so there is no historical precedent. Bill Clinton had already won re-election before he was impeached, as had Richard Nixon.
The White House is planning to respond to the impeachment inquiry with a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, according to three White House senior officials, but that letter is not expected to be sent today.
— Fin Gomez and Ben Tracy
Volker says he wasn’t aware of and didn’t take part in effort to urge Ukraine to investigate Biden
2:12 p.m. Volker, in his prepared testimony, claimed that “at no time was I aware of or took part in an effort to urge Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Biden.”
He said that he was aware of “public accusations” about Biden, cautioning Ukrainians to “distinguish between highlighting their own efforts to fight corruption domestically, including investigating Ukrainian individuals … and doing anything that could be seen as impacting U.S. elections.”
Further, he said of the accusations against Biden, “I have known former Vice President Biden for 24 years, and the suggestion that he would be influenced in his duties as Vice President by money for his son simply has no credibility to me. I know him as a man of integrity and dedication to our country.”
Volker, who submitted a number of text exchanges with other officials, is key to House committees investigating Mr. Trump’s actions.
GOP Senator Ron Johnson says ambassador to E.U. said Ukraine aid tied to investigations
1:44 p.m. In an on-the-record interview with the Wall Street Journal, Wisconsin GOP Senator Ron Johnson said he learned of a possible quid pro quo from Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union.
Sondland told him that aid to Ukraine, according to the Journal, was tied to the president’s wish that Ukraine investigate matters related to the 2016 elections. Johnson said that he raised the matter with Mr. Trump in an August 31 phone call, and Mr. Trump rejected the idea.
“He said–expletive deleted–‘No way. I would never do that. Who told you that?” Johnson told the Journal.
Johnson said that he did not believe Biden’s name came up in his discussions with either Sondland or Mr. Trump.
— Kathryn Watson
Volker: Trump said Ukraine was filled with “terrible people”
1:25 p.m.: The former special envoy to Ukraine said during his opening statement before the House Intelligence Committee that Mr. Trump had said Ukraine was filled with “terrible people” and claimed that officials in the country had “tried to take me down.”
In the statement, which was provided to CBS News, Volker described a May 23 meeting with Mr. Trump where he urged the president to invite the newly elected president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, to the White House.
“The president was very skeptical. Given Ukraine’s history of corruption, that is understandable. He said that Ukraine was a corrupt country, full of ‘terrible people.’ He said they “‘tried to take me down,'” Volker told the committee. That impression, Volker suggested, seemed to have come from the president’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. Mr. Trump has ascribed to the unfounded theory that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election to harm his campaign.
Volker told lawmakers that Giuliani had espoused a “negative narrative about Ukraine,” fueled by the outgoing prosecutor general of Ukraine, and that narrative was reaching Mr. Trump.
The House Intelligence Committee released texts between Volker and other administration officials which reflect a clear effort by Volker and Sondland to get Zelensky to make a public statement promising to investigate Burisma, the company that employed Hunter Biden, and the 2016 elections.
— Grace Segers
Romney slams Trump’s “brazen and unprecedented appeal” to Ukraine and China
12:06 p.m.: Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney, a frequent critic of Mr. Trump, slammed the president on Twitter for his “brazen and unprecedented appeal” to Ukraine and China to investigate Biden.
“When the only American citizen President Trump singles out for China’s investigation is his political opponent in the midst of the Democratic nomination process, it strains credulity to suggest that it is anything other than politically motivated,” Romney said in the first of two tweets.
“By all appearances, the President’s brazen and unprecedented appeal to China and to Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden is wrong and appalling,” Romney continued.
Romney has been one of the few Republicans in Congress willing to criticize Mr. Trump’s behavior.
— Grace Segers
Trump can’t say whether he’s asked foreign governments to investigate anyone who isn’t a political rival
11:03 a.m. Speaking to reporters on the White House South Lawn Friday morning, the president couldn’t say whether he’s asked any foreign leaders to investigate anyone who isn’t a political rival.
When a reporter asked Friday whether Mr. Trump had ever asked a foreign leader for assistance investigating someone, the president said he’d have to check on that. That comes as the president insists that investigating corruption in Ukraine is a top priority.
“I’m only interested in corruption. I don’t care about politics. I don’t care about Biden’s politics. I never thought Biden was going to win, to be honest,” the president said. He added, “I don’t care about politics. But I do care about corruption. And this whole thing is about corruption.”
— Kathryn Watson
Senator John Cornyn tweets that Justice Department is investigating Biden
10:54 a.m.: Republican Senator John Cornyn tweeted that the Justice Department is investigating Joe Biden on Friday morning, although the Trump administration has not formally said that it has opened a probe into the former vice president.
In his tweet, Cornyn wrote that “the Trump Justice Department is investigating foreign government influence, VP Biden conflicts of interest, and possible corruption.”
The Justice Department has not formally announced an investigation into Biden, although the White House said in its daily newsletter “1600 Daily” on Thursday that “President Trump has asked Ukraine to fully cooperate with any Justice Department investigation into the actions of former Vice President Joe Biden and his family in Ukraine.” That line was later deleted from the newsletter.
A spokesperson for Cornyn told the Washington Post that Mr. Trump was referring to the U.S. attorney in Connecticut’s investigation into the origins of the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. However, that investigation has never been said to involve Biden.
— Grace Segers
Intelligence community inspector general arrives on Capitol Hill
10:32 a.m.
Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG) Michael Atkinson has arrived on Capitol Hill to testify behind closed doors before the House Intelligence Community. Atkinson is sure to face many questions from members of the committee, many of whom are back in town even though Congress is technically out of session.
On Monday, the ICIG released a statement confirming his conclusion that the whistleblower complaint filed August 12 was appropriately filed, and Atkinson reiterated the determination that the complaint was “urgent” and “appeared credible.”
— Kathryn Watson
Trump repeats unfounded claim that whistleblower had facts “wrong”
9:11 a.m. Mr. Trump continues to take to Twitter to defend himself, tweeting that the the whistleblower had “the facts wrong” about his call with Ukraine’s president.
Mr. Trump, however, has been unable to identify exactly what the whistleblower got wrong. Asked to identify what the whistleblower got wrong Thursday, Mr. Trump appeared to be unable to do so.
“Well, if you look at the whistleblower’s complaint, it’s totally inaccurate because the conversation that I had was absolutely perfect. And most people that have read it say the same thing,” Mr. Trump told reporters on the White House South Lawn Thursday. “The whistleblower never saw the — saw the conversation. He got his information, I guess, second- or third-hand. He wrote something that was total fiction. And now, when people see that, they’re not happy.”
Mr. Trump in the same tweet Friday also criticized Schiff for failing to disclose that the whistleblower had reached out to his staff earlier this year.
Former National Security Adviser Susan Rice warns “our democracy is under assault”
9:09 a.m.: Former National Security Adviser Susan Rice warned our “democracy is under assault” and that attack is coming “from within” in an interview with “CBS This Morning” on Friday.
Rice who served during the Obama administration, said that she was shocked by Mr. Trump’s requests to China and Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. She noted that the U.S. and China are currently in a trade war, and that the “clear implication” of Mr. Trump’s request was that he would ease tariffs on China in return for investigating the Bidens.
She also defended Joe Biden’s push for the removal of a Ukrainian prosecutor general while he was vice president, saying that prosecutor was widely considered as corrupt.
“This prosecutor that he was pushing on all of our behalf to have removed was a corrupt prosecutor who was supposed to go after corruption. So the difference here is very simple,” Rice said. “President Trump on the one hand is asking Ukraine for a favor that benefits him personally and politically. Joe Biden, on behalf of {resident Obama, the United States, and the western world, was asking and pushing for the removal of somebody who on behalf of our policy, on behalf of our national interest. That’s the difference. And Biden did it transparently.”
“The first time that I can remember our democracy is under assault. Our country is in effect under attack,” Rice continued. “That attack is coming now from within. It’s coming from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.”
Trump insists his requests for foreign countries to investigate Biden has “nothing to do with politics”
8:30 a.m.: In a tweet on Friday morning, Mr. Trump reiterated the claim that he has the right as president to ask foreign leaders to investigate “corruption,” referring to his requests for Ukraine and China to probe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden.
“As President I have an obligation to end CORRUPTION, even if that means requesting the help of a foreign country or countries. It is done all the time. This has NOTHING to do with politics or a political campaign against the Bidens. This does have to do with their corruption!” Mr. Trump said.
There is no evidence that has surfaced of any wrongdoing by either Biden in Ukraine or China.
Intelligence Community Inspector General to appear before House Intelligence Committee
7:43 a.m.: Michael Atkinson, the inspector general for the intelligence community, will testify before the House Intelligence Committee in a closed-door session on Friday. This is the second time that Atkinson has spoken before the committee.
Ukrainian prosecutor general announces probe of firm with ties to Hunter Biden
6:46 a.m.: The Ukrainian prosecutor general announced Friday that he is investigating Burisma, the Ukrainian gas firm where Hunter Biden was formerly a board member. Mr. Trump has urged Ukraine to investigate the Bidens’ role in the firing of former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin, who has promoted the conspiracy theory that Joe Biden worked to push him out because he was investigating Burisma.
“We are conducting an audit of the cases that were earlier overseen by the Prosecutor-General’s Office,” current Prosecutor General Ruslan Ryaboshapka told reporters, according to the AFP. “We are reviewing all cases that were closed…to make a decision on whether this was illegal.”
However, according to Reuters, Ryaboshapka also said Friday he was not aware of any evidence of wrongdoing by Hunter Biden, and he had not been contacted by any foreign lawyers about the case.
House committees release trove of Ukraine documents
Thursday, 10:38 p.m.: The chairmen of the three House committees investigating the Ukraine matter sent a letter to colleagues and released a trove of materials provided by Volker, the former special envoy to Ukraine. Find them here and below:
The text messages were from Volker to other officials including Bill Taylor, Charge d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Ukraine, Gordon Sondland, U.S. Ambassador to the EU, Andrey Yermak, aide to Zelensky and the president’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
These texts reflect a clear effort by Volker and Sondland to get Zelensky to make a public statement promising to investigate Burisma and the 2016 elections. In return, the Ukrainians wanted a White House visit and a “reset” of US-Ukrainian relations. Volker and Sondland assist Zelensky’s aide in writing the statement, with input from Giuliani. Throughout the exchanges, Taylor raised concerns about Ukraine becoming an “instrument” for domestic politics and the entirety of the aid-for-investigations proposition. — Rebecca Kaplan and Olivia Gazis
Ex-U.S. ambassador to Ukraine was given ultimatum to leave, source says
Thursday, 6:42 p.m.: A former official told CBS News it was made clear to former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie “Masha” Yovanovitch in the spring that it was the White House that had a problem with her. She was given an ultimatum that she quietly leave her post in Kiev early or face consequences, the official said.
Rudy Giuliani told The Wall Street Journal on Thursday that the president himself discussed removing Yovanovitch from her post. Giuliani also said he personally discussed the matter with Pompeo. Pompeo approved the removal but has not since replaced her.
Despite extraordinary targeted political attacks in Ukraine and from Donald Trump Jr. himself, Pompeo never publicly defended Yovanovitch, which has caused a lot of concern within the foreign service. Yovanovitch is a three-time ambassador and well-respected among fellow diplomats.
The former official told CBS News that the fact that someone as high ranking as a U.S. ambassador could face political targeting has sent chills through the State Department.
“It is concerning to have no one speak up,” a senior foreign service officer said. “There has not been a word of defense or support.”
“These are career professions and they don’t do politics. They serve their country just like the military. This isn’t Obama’s ambassador. This is the U.S. ambassador.”
The official said the administration “has politicized the State Department. But this is another level.”
It is still ultimately up to the State Department to decide whether to allow Yovanovitch to appear before Congress next week. Negotiations are still underway regarding how the expected deposition will be carried out. Those details include the question of who will be in the room with her when she answers questions. The State Department lawyers would be representing the administration, not Yovanovitch.
“Masha still needs permission,” this senior foreign service officer pointed out.
George Kent, deputy assistant secretary in the European and Eurasian bureau, is also expected to be deposed. Kent’s email exchanges expressing concern in March 2019 about the politically motivated attacks on Yovanovitch were revealed in documents presented to Congress by the State Department inspector general on Wednesday and obtained by CBS News. — Margaret Brennan
State Department signs off on $39.2 million Javelin missile sale to Ukraine
Thursday, 3:38 p.m.: The State Department informed Congress it has approved a potential $39.2 million sale of 150 Javelin anti-tank missiles and 10 launchers to the Ukrainian government. The Javelins were discussed during the July 25 call between Mr. Trump and Zelensky, the president of Ukraine.
In the call, Zelensky said he was “almost ready” to purchase the missiles, which are effective for destroying Russian tanks. Zelensky’s comment prompted Mr. Trump to respond that he would “like you to do us a favor though” and raise Ukraine’s cooperation with the Justice Department’s investigation into the origins of the Mueller probe. Mr. Trump brought up the Bidens later in the call.
The State Department said the deal, which is not yet final, also includes training and support services.
“This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by improving the security of Ukraine,” the department said in its notification to Congress. “The Javelin system will help Ukraine build its long-term defense capacity to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity in order to meet its national defense requirements.” — Stefan Becket
