The latest on the Trump impeachment inquiry

By Fernando Alfonso III, Mike Hayes and Meg Wagner, CNN

Updated 5:10 p.m. ET, October 16, 2019
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11:52 a.m. ET, October 16, 2019

Budget officials don't plan to comply with deposition requests

From CNN's Rene Marsh & Sara Murray

Russ Vought, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, arrives at the White House on Wednesday, October 9.
Russ Vought, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, arrives at the White House on Wednesday, October 9. Alex Edelman/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Acting Office of Management & Budget Director Russ Vought and Michael Duffey, the OMB's associate director for national security programs, have both been asked to appear for depositions from the three committees leading the impeachment process, according to a source familiar with the requests.

The two OMB officials have no plans to comply, according to a senior administration official. 

The senior administration official said that neither Vought nor Duffey plan to cooperate:

"The White House, including the White House Budget office/Russ Vought, has made it clear they are not participating in the sham impeachment process."

More background here: Yesterday OMB missed its deadline to turn over the documents that impeachment committees subpoenaed. When asked about this yesterday, an OMB spokesperson pointed to the letter earlier this month from White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and said that letter speaks for OMB as well. The White House letter slammed the impeachment investigation as "constitutionally illegitimate" and made clear the administration does not plan to cooperate.  

11:39 a.m. ET, October 16, 2019

Majority of Americans support impeachment, according to Gallup poll

From CNN's Kaanita Iyer

Alex Wong/Getty Images
Alex Wong/Getty Images

American adults who support the impeachment and removal of President Trump from office has reached 52%, according to a Gallup poll released today.

That's a 7-point increase from when Gallup asked the question in June about impeachment and removal after former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Support for impeachment among Democrats and independents is at 89% and 55%, respectively, with independent support climbing 9 points since June.

Republican support remains low — 6% back the impeachment effort in the new survey, down a percentage point from four months ago.

11:29 a.m. ET, October 16, 2019

Fourth man allegedly involved in Ukrainian campaign finance scheme in custody

From CNN's Kara Scannell

David Correia, one of the four men charged last week in the alleged campaign finance scheme, is in FBI custody, according to a spokesman for the US attorney’s office in Manhattan.

Correia was taken into custody this morning after landing on a flight at John F. Kennedy airport. Correia, Igor Fruman, Lev Parnas and Andrey Kukushkin are due in court Thursday for their arraignment. 

Some context: Last week Fruman and Parnas, two associates of Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, were arrested and indicted for allegedly funneling foreign money into U.S. elections. Correia and Kukushkin, two American citizens described as "businessmen" in the indictment, were charged for their involvement in the same scheme.

Coming up: Parnas and Fruman face a subpoena deadline today for documents related to communications with the White House, Ukrainian officials and Giuliani.

Parnas and Fruman introduced Giuliani to Ukrainian officials who pushed unfounded theories about corruption involving former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.

11:17 a.m. ET, October 16, 2019

House GOP members not part of the impeachment inquiry want to read transcript of hearing interview

Rep. Andy Biggs attends a hearing in Rayburn Building in September 2019 in Washington.
Rep. Andy Biggs attends a hearing in Rayburn Building in September 2019 in Washington. Tom William/CQ Roll Call/AP

Rep. Andy Biggs, chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, spoke at the weekly House GOP press conference about his effort to censure House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff. 

 “Today we’re going to be pressing forward with my motion to censure Mr. Schiff joined by the vast majority of Republicans in this conference,” Biggs said, accusing Schiff of running a “Soviet-style inquiry,” because “everything is behind closed doors” and there is “absolutely no transparency.” 

Biggs added that “a group of my colleagues are going to go down and we’re going to ask for our opportunity to read the Volker transcript,” saying “We’re excluded from participating.” 

On Oct. 3, former US Special Envoy for Ukraine Kurt Volker told House investigators that he urged Ukraine's leadership not to interfere in US politics in a conversation that followed the phone call between President Trump and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, according to two sources familiar with the testimony.

House GOP Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy along with House GOP leader Liz Cheney and Steve Scalise similarly criticized Democrats over transparency at the presser.

“I think one of the really important things to recognize about they impeachment effort is the extent to which the materials are being kept in secret, not just from the public, but kept in secret from other members,” Cheney said.

 “They ought to be accountable, they ought to be transparent,” Scalise said.

What's this all about: Last month, Biggs introduced a motion to censure Schiff.

11:08 a.m. ET, October 16, 2019

House GOP Leader says “there’s nothing that the president did wrong” on phone call with Ukrainian leader

From CNN's Clare Foran and Manu Raju 

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy leaves the deposition of George Kent, the deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs, on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy leaves the deposition of George Kent, the deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs, on Tuesday, Oct. 15. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images

At the weekly House GOP press conference, House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy argued “there’s nothing that the president did wrong” when it comes to his phone call with the Ukrainian President where he pushed for an investigation into the Bidens, saying, “There’s nothing that the President did within that call that’s impeachable.”

Later he reiterated, “So no, the President didn’t do anything wrong.”

Pressed by a reporter about whether he would defend the President’s actions, McCarthy said, “the President wasn’t investigating a campaign rival, the President was trying to get to the bottom, just as every American would want to know, why did we have this Russia hoax that actually started within Ukraine."

Asked if Rudy Giuliani should still be the President’s personal attorney McCarthy initially deflected, saying, “that’s a question for the President,” but then took a subtle jab at Giuliani, he added, “I think there would be other people I’d have represent myself.” 

McCarthy defended Giuliani’s role in the Ukraine matter, saying, “Rudy Giuliani has a right to try to get to the bottom of it, especially when you just put America through this for more than two years. I think all of America wants to have the answer to that question, it would be appalling to me that we would not.”

McCarthy slammed the impeachment inquiry, saying that “When it comes to the President, the Democrats believe you’re guilty, until you prove your innocence.”

10:21 a.m. ET, October 16, 2019

Grand jury subpoenas Pete Sessions on matters connected to Rudy Giuliani

From CNN's Shimon Prokupecz, Lauren Fox, Caroline Kelly and Kara Scannell

JOSHUA ROBERTS/REUTERS
JOSHUA ROBERTS/REUTERS

A grand jury has subpoenaed former Republican Rep. Pete Sessions on matters connected to President Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, two Giuliani associates' dealings with Ukraine and efforts to remove the US ambassador to Ukraine, sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

Sessions' subpoena suggests that investigators are looking to gather information on his interactions with Giuliani, as well as with associates Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman—who were indicted for allegedly funneling foreign money into US elections—as the investigation into their Ukraine dealings charges forward.

What else you need to know: CNN has reported that prosecutors allege Parnas and Fruman asked Sessions to help get the US ambassador to Ukraine fired at the same time that they were committing to raise tens of thousands of dollars for Sessions' reelection campaign. Parnas made their request to the congressman in part at the behest of one or more Ukraine government officials, the indictment states.

The subpoena to Sessions came in the last few days after the indictment against Parnas and Fruman was made public, according to the source and another source familiar with the matter.

The second source refused to rule out that Sessions himself is not a target of the grand jury investigation, saying instead that the investigation has "not reached definitive conclusions."

The Wall Street Journal first reported that Sessions had been subpoenaed.

10:51 a.m. ET, October 16, 2019

Michael McKinley arrives at the Capitol to testify in the impeachment inquiry

Andrew Harnik/AP
Andrew Harnik/AP

The former senior adviser to Mike Pompeo has arrived on Capitol Hill for his behind closed-doors testimony in the impeachment inquiry.

McKinley is testifying less than a week after resigning from the State Department.

What we expect he'll talk about: Michael McKinley will give an opening statement that will focus on the reasons for his resignation, which was primarily his concern that the Department’s leadership was not supporting the career foreign service, according to a source familiar. 

As of now, McKinley does not plan to release his opening statement.

CNN has previously reported that McKinley was deeply concerned with the silence in the top ranks at State in not defending former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch and it was one reason he resigned.

10:52 a.m. ET, October 16, 2019

Former US diplomat to Ukraine Kurt Volker spotted on Capitol Hill

From CNN's Jeremy Herb and Manu Raju

Susan Walsh/AP
Susan Walsh/AP

Former US Special Envoy for Ukraine Kurt Volker just arrived at the Capitol this morning.

Volker is here this morning to review his testimony with his attorney, according to GOP sources.

Volker testified in front of the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight Committees on Oct. 3 in the impeachment inquiry.

More context: Volker told House investigators that he urged Ukraine's leadership not to interfere in US politics in a conversation that followed the phone call between President Trump and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, according to two sources familiar with the testimony.

Volker's testimony behind closed doors seems to confirm the whistleblower description in the complaint that Volker and another US diplomat "provided advice to the Ukrainian leadership about how to 'navigate' the demands that the President made."

9:42 a.m. ET, October 16, 2019

Rick Perry said he will follow the lead of his counsel on the House subpoena 

PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP via Getty Images
PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP via Getty Images

Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said he would “follow the lead” of his counsel on whether he will cooperate with the House subpoena for documents relating to Ukraine.

Appearing on Fox Business today, Perry said, “the House has sent a subpoena over for the records we have. Our general counsel and the White House counsel are going through the process right now. And I am going to follow the lead of my counsel on that.”

Context: House Democrats issued a subpoena to Perry last Thursday for documents related to the Trump administration's contacts with Ukraine as part of the ongoing House impeachment inquiry. The deadline for Perry to comply is Oct. 18.