E.U. ambassador to testify in impeachment inquiry, defying Trump administration
Attorneys for Gordon Sondland said he would speak to House Democrats, but that he would not turn over documents viewed as property of the State Department.
Oct. 11, 2019, 8:15 AM CDT
By Adam Edelman, Josh Lederman, Geoff Bennett and Peter Alexander
WASHINGTON — Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, will testify next week to House committees leading the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, defying the State Department's direction not to cooperate.
“Notwithstanding the State Department’s current direction to not testify, Ambassador Sondland will honor the Committees’ subpoena, and he looks forward to testifying on Thursday,†Sondland's attorneys, Robert Luskin and Kwame Manley, said in a statement Friday.
Sondland's joint deposition before the House Foreign Affairs, Intelligence and Oversight committees is scheduled for Oct. 17. Axios was first to report that Sondland would appear next week.
Sondland's closed-door interview was originally scheduled for this week, but his appearance was blocked by the Trump administration. In response, the Democratic chairmen of the House committeesissued a subpoena for Sondland, seeking both his testimony and documents they charge Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is withholding from Congress.
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https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/e-u-ambassador-sondland-testify-impeachment-inquiry-defying-state-department-n1064966
