The latest on the Trump impeachment inquiry

President Trump told reporters this afternoon he had just learned that Trey Gowdy could not begin as his outside counsel until “sometime after January” because of “lobbying rules.”

Trump attorney Jay Sekulow announced the former congressman’s hiring Wednesday night, saying in a statement his “legal skills and his advocacy will serve the President well.”

Gowdy met with Trump in the Oval Office this week for an extended period of time.

The January timing could prove problematic since he is facing an impeachment inquiry currently that, so far, has had a rapid timeline.

President Trump claims he does not know the two associates of Rudy Giuliani who were arrested trying to leave the country, despite photographs that show him meeting them.

Trump acknowledged “it’s possible” a photo of himself exists with Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, but said he takes photos with lots of people at fundraisers.

The President said “maybe” the men were clients of Giuliani, and said reporters would have to ask Giuliani for more details.

Trump continued to lambaste the intelligence whistleblower and defend his telephone call with Ukraine’s president.

Former Rep. Pete Sessions, a Republican from Texas, said he “could not have had” knowledge of the scheme that two of Rudy Giuliani's associates were allegedly involved in.

Sessions said he took “no official action” after being approached "by these individuals about the strategic need for Ukraine to become energy independent."

Some context: The US attorney for the Southern District of New York claims Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman illegally funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars in foreign money to a US political group identified in the indictment as "Committee-1."

Parnas and Fruman were arrested last night at Dulles Airport while heading to Frankfurt, Germany. Both men had one-way tickets.

Giuliani told CNN he is not aware of any law enforcement scrutiny on his financial dealings with the men and he said he has not been interviewed by the FBI in the investigation.

Rudy Giuliani’s financial dealings with two associates indicted on campaign finance-related charges are under scrutiny by investigators overseeing the case, law enforcement officials briefed on the matter said. 

The FBI and prosecutors in Manhattan are examining Giuliani’s involvement in the broader flow of money that are at the center of the allegations against Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, the sources said. The sources did not say that Giuliani, President Trump's personal attorney, was a target of the investigation. 

Giuliani told CNN he is not aware of any law enforcement scrutiny on his financial dealings with the men and he said he has not been interviewed by the FBI in the investigation.

House democrats have issued a subpoena to Secretary of Energy Rick Perry for documents pertaining to the ongoing impeachment inquiry.

Perry must produce the documents by Oct. 18, Rep. Adam B. Schiff, Chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said in a statement.

Some background: On Oct. 2 Perry, who has met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on at least three occasions, pledged to work with lawmakers looking into a whistleblower's allegations about President Trump's communications with the foreign leader. Perry also met in Ukraine with Zelensky's predecessor in August 2017 and visited the country on a Baltic region tour in November 2018.

CNN's Gregory Wallace and Kylie Atwood also contributed to this report.

Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman — the two associates of President Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani who were charged today with federal campaign finance violations — will be held in detention in Virginia until they each secure $1 million bond, a judge said. 

That was the deal prosecutors and the men's defense attorneys reached this afternoon, and the judge agreed to it, sending them back into custody until court officials can approve their paperwork. Fruman will use his residence to secure the bond, while Parnas will use a business, attorneys involved in the case said. 

Once released, they will be confined to their homes and wear GPS monitors. With approval, they can travel between the Southern District of Florida, where they live, and the Southern District of New York, where they're charged. 

They have both surrendered their US passports — which were seized from them at Dulles Airport — and were ordered by the judge to turn over all other travel documents and passports they might have.

They pair are also not allowed to discuss the case with one another —though the judge noted that would be difficult to enforce.

US attorney Geoffrey Berman said during a press conference today that the $325,000 donation Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman — two Giuliani associates charged with federal campaign finance violations — made to "committee-1" in spring 2018 was "one of the largest" donations it had received.

CNN has identified that committee as America First Action. It's now chaired by Linda McMahon, the former head of the Small Business Administration who left the White House to join the super PAC this spring. 

Multiple other former administration officials also work there, including Sean Spicer and Kelly Sadler.

While Sadler issued a statement earlier today saying they moved that six-figure donation to a segregated account, they are now declining to say when they did so. The donation has not been used and “will remain in this segregated account until these matters are resolved,” the group said.

Here's Sadler's statement:

President Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani had lunch with two associates just hours before their arrests, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman were detained at Dulles airport outside of Washington last night. They had recently purchased one-way tickets, according to a law enforcement source.

The two men were headed to Frankfurt, Germany to connect to another flight when they were arrested, according to a law enforcement source. 

The two men were charged today with federal campaign finance violations. They are currently in custody.

Parnas and Fruman are connected to efforts to dig up dirt in Ukraine on Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. Both men were booked into the Alexandria, Virginia jail late yesterday evening.

Reached earlier today and asked about his associates, Giuliani said, "I can't comment at this point."

The two associates of President Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani were headed to Frankfurt to connect to another flight when they were arrested, according to a law enforcement source. 

Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman purchased their one-way tickets recently, the source said.

Both men were detained at Dulles airport outside of Washington last night.

Parnas and Fruman are connected to efforts to dig up dirt in Ukraine on Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. Both men were booked into the Alexandria, Virginia jail late yesterday evening.