What happened House to vote soon on impeachment inquiry

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House will take a vote this week to formalize Democrats’ impeachment inquiry amid President Donald Trump’s criticism that the probe is illegitimate. In a letter to colleagues on Monday, the California Democrat said the step is being taken “to eliminate any doubt” about the process.

Pelosi’s letter comes as a national security official defied a House subpoena Monday, escalating the standoff between Congress and the White House over who will testify.

Charles Kupperman, who was a deputy to former national security adviser John Bolton, failed to show up for a scheduled closed-door deposition after filing a lawsuit asking a federal court in Washington to rule on whether he was legally required to appear. In a statement, Kupperman said he was awaiting “judicial clarity.” The court had yet to rule by Monday morning.

House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff said Kupperman’s suit has “no basis in law” and speculated that the White House didn’t want him to testify because his testimony could be incriminating.

The argument advanced by Kupperman’s lawyers turns on his status as a close adviser to the president — that he met with and advised him on a regular basis and therefore cannot be compelled to testify.

Why it matters

After hearing from a series of State Department officials, the three committees leading the impeachment investigation are turning their focus to the White House. Lawmakers say they are hoping to get more answers about what aides close to Trump knew about his orders on Ukraine policy.

William Taylor, the current top diplomat in Ukraine, testified last week that he was told aid to the country would be withheld until the country

conducted investigations into Trump’s potential 2020 Democratic rival Joe Biden and his family and into Ukraine’s involvement in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Several of the State Department officials have already told lawmakers of their concerns as Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani took charge of Ukrainian policy and as Trump pushed out the U.S. ambassador there.

What’s next

Schiff said the inquiry committees will move forward, with or without testimony from Kupperman and other witnesses. Democrats have indicated that they are likely to use no-show witnesses to write an article of impeachment against Trump for obstruction of justice,

Two current National Security Council staff members, Alexander Vindman and Tim Morrison, are scheduled to appear this week and would be the first White House employees to testify in the inquiry.

Morrison’s attorney, Barbara Van Gelder, said in an email Monday that if Morrison is subpoenaed, he will appear.

Schiff said over the weekend that he wants Bolton to testify, though that has not yet been scheduled. He told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that Bolton, who, according to other witnesses, had concerns about the Ukraine policy, “has very relevant information.” But he predicted that the White House would fight a Bolton appearance.