VP Pence, Trump Confidante Giuliani Ignore Congressional Summons In Probe

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani said on October 15 they won’t comply with a Congressional impeachment investigation into Trump’s efforts to prod Ukraine to investigate a political foe.

Pence through his lawyer said he will not provide a long list of documents related to the Ukraine case that three House of Representatives’ panels have requested.

Giuliani also said he will not cooperate and could face contempt of Congress charges.

The House inquiry was prompted by a government whistle-blower’s account of a July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during which Trump asked Zelenskiy to work with Giuliani and Attorney General William Barr on probing Biden and his son, Hunter, for alleged corruption.

On October 17, Gordon Sondland, the U.S. envoy to the European Union, is scheduled to testify before the House panels.

His testimony has been anticipated ever since Democrats released text messages between Sondland and other ambassadors, including former special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker, discussing the possibility of Zelenskiy securing a visit to the White House.

Senior diplomat George Kent testified on October 15 behind closed doors. He is currently deputy assistant secretary of state in charge of U.S. policy toward six former Soviet republics, including Ukraine.

Kent’s testimony came after Fiona Hill, former senior director for European and Russian affairs on Trump's National Security Council, spent all day in Washington answering questions on October 14.

CNN and The New York Times quoted sources with knowledge of Hill’s testimony as saying she “saw wrongdoing related to the Ukraine policy and reported it."

With reporting by AP and Reuters