What's Next: Depositions turn to the White House
WASHINGTON (AP) — For only the fourth time in U.S. history, the House of Representatives has started a presidential impeachment inquiry . House committees are trying to determine if President Donald Trump violated his oath of office by asking Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden and his family, and to investigate the country's involvement in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
A quick summary of the latest news:
DEPOSITIONS TURN TO WHITE HOUSE
The three House committees leading the Democratic probe have scheduled several current and former National Security Council officials to testify this week behind closed doors — an attempt to get a better look inside the White House as Trump pushed Ukraine to conduct politically motivated investigations.
The officials include Charles Kupperman, a former deputy at the NSC who worked for former National Security Adviser John Bolton, and current NSC staff Tim Morrison and Alexander Vindman. Morrison is particularly key, as top Ukraine diplomat William Taylor told lawmakers in his deposition last week about phone calls he had with Morrison that described the Ukraine effort.
The committees have scheduled to hear from three other State Department and Defense Department witnesses as well as they attempt to determine whether military aid to Ukraine was held up as a condition of the investigations.
The Democrats are moving quickly — sometimes scheduling multiple depositions in one day — as they are trying to compile facts and eventually transition to public hearings. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, who is leading the probes, said Saturday that the panels are making "rapid progress."
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A WITNESS SUES
It is unclear if all of the officials will appear as Trump has vowed to obstruct the probe. So...