Updates on impeachment: Rudy Giuliani lawyers up, a whistleblower conspiracy and more
One week into the formal impeachment inquiry related to Donald Trump's communications with Ukraine, House Democrats are facing some resistance from key players they hope to interview.
At the center of everything is a whistleblower complaint alleging that the president pressured Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, then tried to cover up records of the conversation.
The full whistleblower complaint is now available for review, as is a summary of Trump's July 25 phone call with Zelensky.
Phone call: Read the summary of President Trump's call with Ukraine president about Biden
Complaint: The full declassified text of the Trump whistleblower complaint
Here are the updates on impeachment as of Tuesday, Oct. 1.
Trump called impeachment inquiry a "coup"
Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday night, labeling the impeachment inquiry into him a "coup"
The president has claimed attempts of a coup before, telling a crowd at the National Rifle Association's annual meeting in April of the Mueller Report: "They tried for a coup, it didn't work out so well. And I didn't need a gun for that one, did I?"
“As I learn more and more each day, I am coming to the conclusion that what is taking place is not an impeachment, it is a COUP, intended to take away the Power of thePeople, their VOTE, their Freedoms, their Second Amendment, Religion, Military, Border Wall, and their God-given rights as a Citizen of The United States of America!” Trump claimed in a series of tweets.
Rudy Giuliani lawyered up
After being subpoenaed by House Democrats, Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani got himself a lawyer to prepare for potential testimony before Congress.
Giuliani's lawyer, Jon Sale, is no stranger to presidential impeachment scandals: he was an assistant prosecutor in the Watergate case, which resulted in President Richard Nixon stepping down in the face of pending impeachment.
More: Trump's Ukraine call and Nixon's Watergate increasingly drawing parallels as scandal erupts
More: Rudy Giuliani hires Watergate prosecutor to represent him in impeachment inquiry
On Monday, three House committee chairmen issued a subpoena to the former New York City mayor, stating a "growing public record" implicating Giuliani in putting pressure on Ukraine to conduct investigations that might benefit Trump politically.
They requested records related to Giuliani's communications with Ukraine. Giuliani has said publicly he contacted Ukrainian officials at the direction of the State Department.
Giuliani responded to the subpoena on Twitter Monday, saying “It raises significant issues concerning legitimacy and constitutional and legal issues including ... attorney client and other privileges. It will be given appropriate consideration."
More: Democrats subpoena Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, for Ukraine documents
Pompeo fired back at Dems over State Department depositions
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sent a letter to House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel objecting to planned State Department depositions.
Congress had been anticipating depositions with five State Department workers over the next two weeks, including with officials who were named in the whistleblower complaint.
Pompeo suggested in his letter that he would fight the request, which he called "an attempt to intimidate, bully and treat improperly the distinguished professionals of the Department of State."
"I will not tolerate such tactics, and I will use all means at my disposal to prevent and expose any attempts to intimidate the dedicated professionals whom I am proud to lead and serve alongside at the Department of State," he said.
However, two figures named in the whistleblower complaint are still set to appear before Congress. Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie “Masha” Yovanovitch, who was slated for a closed-door deposition Wednesday, will reportedly now appear instead on Oct. 11.
The State Department’s former special envoy for Ukraine, Kurt Volker, is expected to appear before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday.
Democrats were swift in their condemnation of Pompeo: “Any effort to intimidate witnesses or prevent them from talking with Congress – including State Department employees – is illegal and will constitute evidence of obstruction of the impeachment inquiry."
Pompeo's statements may be an indication of how the Trump administration plans to respond to impeachment inquiry requests.
Additionally, according to reports, the State Department's inspector general requested an "urgent" briefing with senior congressional staff members on Wednesday related to documents on Ukraine following Pompeo's letter.
More: Democrats accuse Pompeo of 'stonewalling,' after he pushes back on impeachment requests
More on Pompeo: Secretary of State reportedly on the Ukraine call
News reports on Monday suggest that Pompeo was one of the administration officials who listened in on Trump's July call with Zelensky.
Pompeo was not listed in the whistleblower complaint, but he was also subpoenaed by House Democrats for any documents relating to the State Department's role in arranging conversations between Giuliani and Ukraine officials.
Giuliani posted a screenshot of a text message on Twitter last week that appeared to come Volker, who is expected in a deposition this week.
More: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was on the Trump-Ukraine phone call, according to reports
Trump pushed story that rules were changed to allow whistleblower complaint
The Office of the Inspector General for the Intelligence Community Michael Atkinson, a Trump-appointed official, pushed back on a claim that the anonymous whistleblower was only able to file a complaint because rules were changed recently in order to allow second-hand information to qualify.
WHO CHANGED THE LONG STANDING WHISTLEBLOWER RULES JUST BEFORE SUBMITTAL OF THE FAKE WHISTLEBLOWER REPORT? DRAIN THE SWAMP!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2019
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy also spread the claim: "Whistleblowers were required to provide direct, first-hand knowledge of allegations...but just days before the Ukraine whistleblower came forward, the IC secretly removed that requirement from the complaint form."
The ICIG released a statement on Monday refuting those claims. The ICIG statement says that under law, second-hand information is acceptable, not only eye-witness accounts. That law has not changed.
The ICIG maintains that the whistleblower acted in accordance with the law and that the complaint was indeed an "urgent concern."
It wasn't the form that was changed but the accompanying informational materials that the ICIG says "incorrectly" suggested whistleblowers must possess first-hand information to file a complaint.
More: IG says whistleblower complaint was properly filed
Trump asked Australia, other nations for help with investigation into Mueller probe
White House and Justice Department officials said on Monday that Trump has requested help from foreign countries, including at least Australia, in Attorney General William Barr's investigation into the Robert Mueller Russia probe.
An unspecified number of nations' leaders were asked on behalf of Barr, who has been leading an inquiry into whether U.S. officials abused their authority in the Mueller investigation into interference in the 2016 U.S. election.
“As the Department of Justice has previously announced, a team led by U.S. Attorney John Durham is investigating the origins of the U.S. counterintelligence probe of the Trump 2016 presidential campaign," a spokesperson said in a statement. "Mr. Durham is gathering information from numerous sources, including a number of foreign countries. At Attorney General Barr’s request, the president has contacted other countries to ask them to introduce the attorney general and Mr. Durham to appropriate officials."
Contributing: Deirdre Shesgreen, Ledyard King, Kevin Johnson, David Jackson and Kristine Phillips
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Impeachment: What you need to know on Ukraine inquiry Tuesday
