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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Maanvi Singh in San Francisco (now) and Joan E Greve in Washington (earlier)

House to vote on resolution on next steps in impeachment inquiry – as it happened

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks during funeral services for late Representative Elijah Cummings at the New Psalmist Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks during funeral services for late Representative Elijah Cummings at the New Psalmist Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland. Photograph: Pool/Getty Images

Evening summary

Here’s a recap of today:

  • The House of Representatives will have its first vote on the impeachment inquiry. House leader Nancy Pelosi said the vote will counter Republican opposition, and “ eliminate any doubt as to whether the Trump administration may withhold documents, prevent witness testimony, disregard duly authorized subpoenas or continue obstructing the House of Representatives.”
  • Republican lawmakers say the decision to hold a vote proves they were right all along — but also it’s too little too late. So far, Republicans have avoided commenting on the substance of the allegations against Trump, instead focusing their criticism of the impeachment inquiry on the process and procedures.
  • A democratic California state assemblywoman Christy Smith announced she’ll run for the seat to be vacated by US congresswoman Katie Hill.
  • Hill resigned yesterday amid allegations that she had an inappropriate relationship with a staffer. In a video resleased earlier today, Hill apologized and also decried what she called “coordinated campaign” by Republicans and rightwing media to discredit her.
  • Former North Carolina senator Kay Hagan has died.
  • Donald Trump addressed a police convention and held a fund-raiser in Chicago, continued to boast about the US-milliary raid of ISIS leader al-Baghdadi’s compound and rail against the impeachment inquiry.

The Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who introduced a Senate resolution denouncing the House inquiry last week, is both taking credit for House Democrats’ decision to hold a full vote on the impeachment inquiry, and saying that the vote is meaningless.

“A vote now is a bit like un-ringing a bell as House Democrats have selectively leaked information in order to damage President Trump for weeks,” he said.

He added: “There is no doubt in my mind that the overwhelming response House Democrats heard from the American people and Senate Republicans in support of my resolution forced their hand.”

Updated

Trump’s macabre description of the US military raid on the ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s Syrian compound contained several inaccuracies.

For one, the president said Baghdadi was “whimpering, crying and screaming all the way”– which officials say they did not hear.

According to NBC, officials have also expressed concerns that the revealed classified information and risked future operations in the region:

The overarching concern about Trump’s disclosures on the al-Baghdadi raid, officials said, is that he gave America’s enemies details that could make intelligence gathering and similar military operations more difficult and more dangerous to pull off.

Revealing that the U.S. possesses documents about future ISIS plans hurts the military’s ability to use that information for quick follow-on operations, officials said. The president’s disclosure that the U.S. had taken ISIS fighters from the compound complicated efforts to try to keep ISIS from knowing who is alive or dead for as long as possible while they interrogate them, officials said.

Updated

Mark Zuckerberg testified at a House Financial Services Committee hearing last week.
Mark Zuckerberg testified at a House Financial Services Committee hearing last week. Photograph: Erin Scott/Reuters

Facebook continues to come under fire for its policy exempting political advertising from factchecking. Hundreds of the company’s employees have signed a letter to executive Mark Zuckerberg voicing concerns over the policy, The Guardian’s Kari Paul reported earlier today.

Yesterday, Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Christopher Wiley proffered his help filling in gaps in Zuckerberg’s testimony.

Reporting from The Guardian and other news organizations revealed last year that Facebook exposed data from up to 87 million Facebook users to a researcher who worked for Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm that worked for the Trump campaign.

Zuckerberg said that he wasn’t aware of the situation until it became publicly known

“This was the largest data scandal with respect to your company that had catastrophic impacts with regard to 2016… and you don’t know?” Ocasio-Cortez asked during Zukerberg when he appeared before the House financial services committee last week.

Zuckerberg’s insistence that he was unaware is looking increasingly suspicious, writes Carole Cadwalladr:

And the answers Zuckerberg gave Ocasio-Cortez only invite further questions. The fact is that the Cambridge Analytica data scandal is far from over. In some ways, it’s only just beginning. It’s not the crime, as the saying goes, it’s the cover-up. And that continues.

Because we know Facebook lied. The SEC investigation says that. To us at the Observer, in fact “… when asked by reporters in 2017 about its investigation into the Cambridge Analytica matter, Facebook falsely claimed the company found no evidence of wrongdoing”.

Updated

Court rules North Carolina's congressional map is so gerrymandered, it's unusable

A state court in North Carolina ruled that the congressional map is so severely gerrymandered to benefit Republicans that it can’t be used in 2020.

This ruling comes a month after the same three-judge panel ruled that the state’s legislative maps are also unconstitutional.

Republicans currently control 1o of the state’s 13 seats in the House of Representatives. In 2016, when the current maps were made, Republicans admitted in writing that they wanted to use partisan data to give their party a 10-3 advantage. GOP mapmaker Thomas Hofeller, after receiving his cancer diagnosis in May 2016, wrote in an email reviewed by The New Yorker: “I still have time to bedevil the Democrats with more redistricting plans before I exit.

The ruling today is a preliminary injunction that orders the state not to use the current congressional maps for the 2020 elections as the lawsuit challenging the districts proceeds. Judges said that advocacy groups are poised to show “beyond a reasonable doubt” that the maps violate the state constitution.

Updated

Democrats praise US and Kurdish troops, and the intelligence community... but not Trump

“This victory was not due to Donald Trump’s leadership,” said former vice president Joe Biden. “It happened despite his ineptitude.”

Senator Amy Klobuchar told CBS that the killing of al-Baghdadi doesn’t mean Trump’s “foreign policy overall has not been a disaster.”

From the AP:

Trump is eager to turn al-Baghdadi’s death into a defining moment of his administration, one that could remind waffling Republicans why they support him. And Democrats, who have largely been focused issues such as health care and combating rising college debt, must now decry Trump’s foreign policy without appearing to disparage U.S. forces.

It’s a balance that could be tough for the White House hopefuls to pull off.

Meanwhile, Donald and Melania Trump are celebrating Halloween at the White House. They appear to be dressed up as... themselves.

Spooky.

US regulators will vote next month on whether to bar companies from using federal subsidies for equipment from Chinese firms Huawei and ZTE.

The proposal would mean that telecom companies receiving government subsidies can’t use those to pay equipment from Huawei and ZTE.
The proposal would mean that telecom companies receiving government subsidies can’t use those to pay equipment from Huawei and ZTE. Photograph: Andy Wong/AP

The FCC chair, Ajit Pai, has called Huawei and ZTE “untrusted vendors”. The regulating agency will vote on whether to block companies that receive money from the $8.5bn Universal Service Fund from purchasing equipment or services from firms that pose a national security risk.

Updated

Republican lawmakers on impeachment vote: 'We've been right all along'

The House leaders’ decision to hold its first vote on the impeachment inquiry this week is “clearly an admission that we’ve been right all along about the need to have a more transparent process”, said Greg Walden, a Republican representative from Oregon who announced his retirement today.

The House minority leader, Kevin McCarthy, echoed: “Today’s backtracking is an admission that this process has been botched from the start.”

Republicans have largely avoided commenting on the substance of allegations that Trump abused his power by pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political rivals, instead criticizing the House Democrats’ process.

But if the Democratic leaders imagined that holding a full vote on the inquiry would quell criticism that the inquiry is illegitimate, they’ll be disappointed.

According to the White House press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, “secret, shady, closed door depositions are completely and irreversibly illegitimate”.

Updated

Afternoon summary

Despite Charles Kupperman’s refusal to testify in the impeachment inquiry this morning, it’s been a busy day for US politics so far. My colleague on the west coast, Maanvi Singh, will now take over the blog and continue our coverage of live news.

Today so far:

  • The full House of Representatives will get its first vote on the impeachment inquiry. On Thursday there will be a procedural vote on the next steps in the process. It’s not required but Democrats see it as a good counter to Republican attempts to tear down the process as illegitimate.
  • A California state assemblywoman, Christy Smith, has announced she’ll run to try to put another Democrat in the seat to be vacated by US congresswoman Katie Hill, who flipped her district from the Republicans last year.
  • Departing congresswoman Katie Hill, who resigned yesterday, issued a video statement earlier today that decried an alleged smear campaign against her, while also apologizing for being obliged to leave the House.
  • Former Senator Kay Hagan has died.
  • Donald Trump railed against the impeachment inquiry, on a visit to Chicago, where he was addressing a police convention and holding a fund-raiser, amid protests.

Kupperman case goes to next stage

Deputy national security adviser Charles Kupperman, who was ousted-national security adviser John Bolton’s deputy, did not turn up to testify in the impeachment inquiry this morning, defying a congressional subpoena.

He said he was waiting for a court to rule on which would prevail - the subpoena or a White House gag order, attempting to block administration officials from cooperating with the inquiry.

He filed a lawsuit in the matter, which Democratic leaders said was a legally invalid avenue to take. A judge has now been assigned to the case.

Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House intelligence committee, has reportedly pushed for the resolution outlining impeachment procedures.

Several witnesses have refused to appear before the committees leading the inquiry, deferring to the White House’s opinion that the investigation is illegitimate because no formal vote was held to launch the proceedings.

Schiff may believe that this vote will help to invalidate those arguments and compel the witnesses to testify.

The blog has another update on the US military dog that played a key role in the Baghdadi raid: his name is reportedly Conan.

Meanwhile, Trump has tweeted a photo of the “wonderful dog” that played a crucial role in the raid of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s Syrian compound.

The name of the dog, who is reportedly back on the job after Trump said it was injured in the attack on the Isis leader, remains classified.

Even though the House resolution appears meant to discredit the Trump administration’s argument that the impeachment inquiry is illegitimate, it is unclear whether the White House would comply with the investigation even if a formal vote were held.

It appears that even some senior House Democrats are questioning why Nancy Pelosi is now asking her caucus to vote on a resolution solidifying impeachment procedures.

The announcement comes hours after Charles Kupperman, a former deputy to John Bolton, failed to appear for his testimony in the inquiry because he is seeking a court ruling on whether to comply with the congressional subpoena or the White House’s order not to participate.

If the House votes to formalize impeachment procedures, it could potentially nullify those legal questions.

The House resolution outlining impeachment procedures specifically calls out the Trump administration for dismissing the inquiry as illegitimate.

It reads: “For weeks, the President, his Counsel in the White House, and his allies in Congress have made the baseless claim that the House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry ‘lacks the necessary authorization for a valid impeachment proceeding.’ They argue that, because the House has not taken a vote, they may simply pretend the impeachment inquiry does not exist. Of course, this argument has no merit.”

However, a Politico reporter noted the oddness of Nancy Pelosi choosing to confront this argument just days after a federal judge said that the inquiry was legitimate.

The House will vote on the resolution outlining the procedure to move the impeachment inquiry to the public hearing phase on Thursday.

One paragraph in the resolution reads: “This resolution establishes the procedure for hearings that are open to the American people, authorizes the disclosure of deposition transcripts, outlines procedures to transfer evidence to the Judiciary Committee as it considers potential articles of impeachment, and sets forth due process rights for the President and his Counsel.”

Senior House Democrats hope the vote will invalidate the Trump administration’s argument that the inquiry is illegitimate because no formal vote has been held to launch the proceedings.

House to vote on resolution on next steps in impeachment

Nancy Pelosi’s office is releasing a “Dear Colleague” letter today outlining House Democrats’ next steps in the impeachment inquiry, including public hearings.

The House rules committee will also reportedly mark up a resolution on Wednesday directing various committees to continue their own investigations into Trump under the broader umbrella of the impeachment inquiry.

The resolution is titled, “Directing certain committees to continue their ongoing investigations as part of the existing House of Representatives inquiry into whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to exercise its Constitutional power to impeach Donald John Trump, President of the United States of America, and for other purposes.”

Special election to fill seat of the late Elijah Cummings

The terribly sad death of Maryland congressman Elijah Cummings earlier this month will prompt a special election next year.

He was mourned by the people of Baltimore and eulogized by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton at his funeral last Friday, after becoming the first African-American lawmaker to lie in state at the Capitol.

It was announced today that the primary will be in February and the main election in April.

The congressman was the chair of the House oversight committee, one of the three panels leading the impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump’s questionable dealings with Ukraine and its prime minister Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Barack Obama speaks during the funeral services for the late US congressman Elijah Cummings
Barack Obama speaks during the funeral services for the late US congressman Elijah Cummings Photograph: POOL/Reuters

California assemblywoman will run for Hill's seat

California state assembly Democrat Christy Smith announced today that she will run for the seat that’s being vacated by Katie Hill, who announced yesterday that she will resign.

A date has not yet been set for the special election to decide the seat - a crucial flip from Republican to the Democratic party last year, Joanna Walters writes.

Updated

Departing congresswoman Katie Hill in her video statement calls out “revenge porn”, which she alleges her husband has engaged in against her, and said: “As the victim of it, I call it one of the worst things you can do.”

She begins the video starkly saying of her resignation announcement:“I made this decision so my supporters, my family, my staff and my community will no longer be subjected to the pain inflicted by my abusive husband and the brutality of hateful political operatives.”

She blames a coordinated campaign against her by “the right-wing media and Republican opponents” to “weaponize” her imperfections and perpetuate an alleged smear campaign by her husband, which she describes as “disgusting and unforgivable” and notes: “They will be held accountable.”

Hill goes on to say she does not want her situation to put other women and girls off pursuing a career in politics.

“But I will allow myself to be a distraction from the constitutional crisis we are faced with, and the critical work of my colleagues,” she says, referring to the Trump-Ukraine impeachment inquiry now being conducted by the US House of Representatives.

She is clearly then trying to hold in her emotions as she says: “I never claimed to be perfect but I never thought my imperfections would be weaponized and used to try to destroy me and the community that I have loved for my entire life. And for that I am truly sorry,” she said.

Hill had been seen as a rising star in Washington since being arriving in Congress as a freshman this year.

She said: “I grew up riding horses and the most important thing I learned is that when you fall off you get right back up in the saddle. So I’m going to do that and I hope I can count on you to do the same - and join me on the next ride.”

Hill flipped a vital California seat from Republican to Democrat in the 2018 midterm elections.

Hill calls alleged smear campaign against her “unforgivable”, also says she is “truly sorry” for having to resign

Democratic congresswoman Katie Hill’s video statement issued on Monday is a tortured critique of her brutal downfall so soon into her promising congressional career.

Her apology comes towards the end of the 3.49 minute video, where she also offers an oblique promise that, career-wise, she’s down but not out for good, although she doesn’t mention if she sees a future in politics.

She’s previously acknowledged that it was inappropriate for her to have a sexual relationship with someone employed by her on her campaign team when she was running for Congress.

That’s not against any rules but she expressed regret and it caused a scandal when intimate pictures of Hill and the female staffer were apparently leaked and posted online by a conservative website, then spread, with the prospect of more images and pieces of digital correspondence coming into the public domain.

And last week the House ethics committee opened an investigation into separate allegations that Hill had engaged in a sexual relationship with her legislative director, Graham Kelly, in possible violation of a House rule forged last year in response to the era of the #MeToo movement against sexual assault, sexual harassment and abuse of power.

Hill denied having such a relationship with him, in a letter to constituents, but resigned yesterday, alleging her husband and “hateful political operatives” have coordinated a “smear campaign” against her.

She refers in today’s video statement to “electronic assault” or “revenge porn” in the issuing of intimate images as a way of embarrassing her. She said she was hurt and angry.

Katie Hill during her 2018 congressional campaign in California
Katie Hill during her 2018 congressional campaign in California Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Departing congresswoman Katie Hill issues video statement

Hill apologized for her “imperfections” in a new video statement issued today, a day after she announced her resignation amid allegations, now being investigated, that she violated rules by conducting a sexual relationship with a member of her congressional staff, Joanna Walters writes.

But she also hinted that she will not disappear from public life and will “get right back up in the saddle”, although she did not give details of what she plans to do next.

This development followed the California Democrat acknowledging that she had previously had, separately, a sexual relationship with a member of her campaign team.

In the lengthy video on Monday, Hill became emotional and alleged a smear campaign by her husband, whom she is in the process of divorcing, and said her personal “imperfections” had been used as a weapon unfairly to turn opinion against her.

Updated

Republican congressman Greg Walden announces retirement

Greg Walden, the top Republican on the House energy and commerce committee who was first elected to Congress in 1999, said he would not seek reelection – becoming the latest in a series of House Republicans who have announced their departures in recent months.

Politico reports:

‘Based on recent polling, strong fundraising, and the backing of my wife and family, I am confident I could earn the support of 2nd District voters for another term. I’m also optimistic that a path exists for Republicans to recapture a majority in the House, and that I could return for two more years as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee,’ Walden said in a statement given to POLITICO. ‘But I also know that for me, the time has come to pursue new challenges and opportunities.’

Walden added: ‘So, I will not seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives, nor election to any other office, but instead I will close the public service chapter of my life, thankful for the friends I’ve made and the successful work we’ve done together.’

The Oregon congressman is the 17 th House Republican to announce their retirement this cycle, a sign of how difficult it will be for the GOP to win back the majority in what’s already shaping up as a tough 2020 election. Having President Donald Trump’s name at the top of the ticket will ensure turnout among his supporters, yet it’s also expected to bring Democrats out in huge numbers as well.

Here’s where the day stands so far:

  • Charles Kupperman, a former deputy to John Bolton, failed to appear for his scheduled testimony in the impeachment inquiry. A lawyer for the former official said his client would not testify until a judge ruled on whether he should comply with the congressional subpoena or the White House’s order not to appear.
  • The Justice Department is filing its expected appeal to a judge’s ruling that officials must grant the House judiciary committee access to grand jury material redacted from special counsel Robert Mueller’s report.
  • Kay Hagan, a North Carolina Democrat who served one term in the Senate before being defeated in 2014, has died at 66, her family announced.

The blog will have plenty more coming up, so stay tuned.

Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar mourned the loss of her former Senate colleague and “good friend” Kay Hagan, who died unexpectedly today at the age of 66.

Washington reporters similarly remembered Hagan’s kindness and wit.

Hagan, a Democrat of North Carolina, served for one term in the Senate before being defeated by Republican Thom Tillis in 2014.

Trump has concluded his speech at the annual convention for the International Association of Chiefs of Police and signed his executive order on addressing “the root causes of crime” and law enforcement recruitment.

At one point, the president went on an angry riff about immigration in which he slammed sanctuary cities and “open borders.”

Trump said: “Get ‘em the hell out of our country.” He later added: “As you know, countries love to send their worst to us.”

The president has previously falsely claimed that foreign countries were abusing a visa lottery program to send their “worst of the worst,” even though the US state department vets the applicants.

Former senator Kay Hagan has died

Kay Hagan, a former Democratic senator from North Carolina, has died at 66, according to a statement from her family.

This statement, which was obtained by the Charlotte Observer, read: “We are heartbroken to share that Kay left us unexpectedly this morning. Kay meant everything to us, and we were honored to share her with the people of North Carolina whom she cared for and fought for so passionately as an elected official. ...

“We are deeply grateful for the support shared with our family as Kay worked to regain her strength these last few years after her illness, and we appreciate your continued prayers.”

Hagan was diagnosed with Powassan virus, a type of encephalitis, three years ago. She served a single term in the Senate before being defeated by Republican Thom Tillis in 2014.

In his speech at the annual convention for the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Trump praised the officers who responded to the Dayton shooting in August by mimicking the attacker.

Trump compares impeachment 'scam' to Smollett case

Speaking at an annual police convention in Chicago, Trump said that the Jussie Smollett case was a “scam” and compared it to the impeachment inquiry.

Smollett, an actor on the show Empire, claimed back in January that he was attacked by two men yelling racist and homophobic slurs at him. However, authorities later said that he had staged the attack to gain sympathetic publicity.

Updated

Trump: Baghdadi is 'dead as a door nail'

Trump is now addressing the annual convention of the International Association of Chiefs of Police in Chicago, and he opened his remarks by addressing the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The president told the audience of the Isis leader: “He was a sick and depraved man, and now he’s dead. He’s dead. Dead as a door nail.”

Trump also took a swipe at his predecessor, Barack Obama, saying: “[Baghdadi] should’ve been killed years ago. Another president should’ve gotten him.”

Updated

The US district judge who ordered the justice department to grant the House judiciary committee access to grand jury material redacted from special counsel Robert Mueller’s report has given the panel until noon tomorrow to respond to the DOJ’s request for a stay.

The DOJ is appealing judge Beryl Howell’s ruling and asked for a stay on her order to turn over the material by Wednesday. However, the judge did not immediately grant the stay.

Updated

The debate continues to rage about the “Lock him up” chant that was started during Game 5 of the World Series last night, when the camera panned to Trump in the audience.

Some commentators, including Joe Scarborough from MSNBC’s Morning Joe, equated the jeering to the “Lock her up!” chants about Hillary Clinton that became a frequent occurrence during Trump’s 2016 rallies.

However, others argued the chant was merited given the allegations facing Trump in connection to the impeachment inquiry. From the president of the liberal thinktank Center for American Progress:

George Conway, who is married to senior White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, even listed the potential crimes Trump could be charged with.

Updated

Trump has arrived in Chicago for fundraising events and a speech at the annual conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, where he is expected to sign an executive order on “the root causes of crime” and law enforcement recruitment.

Aboard Air Force One en route to the Windy City, chefs served a Halloween-themed breakfast.

Trump continues to boast about the US military raid of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s Syrian compound, which resulted in the Isis leader’s death.

However, Trump’s rushed decision to withdraw US troops from northern Syria reportedly jeopardized military leaders’ carefully crafted plans to confront Baghdadi.

The New York Times reports:

For months, intelligence officials had kept Mr. Trump apprised of what he had set as a top priority, the hunt for Mr. al-Baghdadi, the world’s most wanted terrorist.

But Mr. Trump’s abrupt withdrawal order three weeks ago disrupted the meticulous planning underway and forced Pentagon officials to speed up the plan for the risky night raid before their ability to control troops, spies and reconnaissance aircraft disappeared with the pullout, the officials said.

Mr. al-Baghdadi’s death in the raid on Saturday, they said, occurred largely in spite of, and not because of, Mr. Trump’s actions.

Justice department files appeal to Mueller grand jury ruling

As expected, the justice department has filed an appeal to challenge a judge’s ruling that DOJ officials must grant the House judiciary committee access to grand jury material previously redacted from special counsel Robert Mueller’s report.

The DOJ is also requesting a stay of the ruling until the matter is resolved, given that the previous judge ordered officials to hand over the material by Wednesday.

US district judge Beryl Howell ruled on Friday the DOJ was “wrong” to argue that existing law prevented the department from sharing the information with Congress.

Jerry Nadler, the Democratic chairman of the House judiciary committee, issued a statement celebrating the “thoughtful ruling,” but legal experts warned that an appeal in the case was inevitable.

Updated

Schiff hints at possible contempt proceeding against Bolton's deputy

Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House intelligence committee, called Charles Kupperman’s failure to testify in the impeachment inquiry “deeply regrettable” and suggested it “may warrant a contempt proceeding” against the former deputy national security adviser.

The California Democrat warned that the White House ordering Kupperman to ignore the congressional subpoena would be taken as “additional evidence of obstruction.”

Schiff added: “If this witness had something to say that would be helpful to the White House, they would want him to come and testify. They plainly don’t.”

The committee chairman also interestingly ruled out the possibility of going to court to compel Kupperman and other witnesses to testify. Schiff said: “We are not willing to let the White House engage us in a lengthy game of rope a dope in the courts, so we press ahead.”

In a bit of good news today, the military dog that was injured during the Baghdadi raid has recovered and “returned to duty,” according to a US official.

Trump said yesterday that the “beautiful” and “talented” dog had been injured in the raid after the Isis leader detonated a suicide vest.

However, doubts over the president’s account of Baghdadi’s final moments have intensified amid reports that the White House had only seen overhead surveillance footage of the raid at the time of Trump’s press conference yesterday.

Sondland reappears on Capitol Hill

Meanwhile, Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the EU, has appeared on Capitol Hill – reportedly to review the transcript from his deposition earlier this month.

Reports indicate that Sondland’s testimony was contradicted by Bill Taylor, the acting US ambassador to Ukraine who said he was told Ukrainian military assistance was frozen to demand public announcements of investigations into Joe Biden and the 2016 election.

Some Democrats on the House committees leading the impeachment inquiry have accused Sondland of lying under oath, a claim that the ambassador’s lawyer has denied.

Bolton's deputy fails to appear for impeachment testimony

Charles Kupperman, the former deputy to John Bolton at the national security council, has officially declined to appear for his scheduled testimony in the impeachment inquiry against Trump.

Kupperman’s lawyer said in a letter last night to the House committees leading the inquiry that his client would not testify until a judge ruled on whether he should comply with the congressional subpoena or the White House order not to appear.

Trump suggests some footage from Baghdadi raid may be released

Just before departing for Chicago, Trump told reporters that some of the footage from the raid of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s Syrian compound, which resulted in the Isis leader’s death, may be released.

The president also claimed that he did not give the House intelligence committee advance notice of the raid because the panel’s Democratic chairman, Adam Schiff, is “the biggest leaker in Washington.”

Meanwhile, doubts have grown over Trump’s account of Baghdadi’s final moments. The Guardian’s Michael Safi reports:

US officials who also watched the feed have declined to echo details of Trump’s macabre account of the Isis’s leader death on Saturday, including that Baghdadi was ‘whimpering, crying and screaming all the way’. ...

The White House monitored the Syria operation through video feeds that Trump said was ‘as though you were watching a movie’.

The footage piped into the situation room would have consisted of overhead surveillance shots of the dark compound with heat signatures differentiating between US fighters and others, intelligence and military officials told the New York Times.

Those cameras would not have been able to peer into the tunnel where Baghdadi died, nor provide audio proof of his conduct during the last minutes of his life.

The lawyer for Charles Kupperman, the former deputy national security adviser under John Bolton, reportedly said his client would not testify in the impeachment inquiry until a judge rules on whether he should comply with the congressional subpoena or the White House order not to appear.

This could delay Kupperman’s testimony significantly, given that no hearing has yet been scheduled in the case, per NBC News.

Bolton's deputy scheduled to testify in impeachment inquiry

Good morning, live blog readers!

As Washington takes stock of an eventful weekend in foreign affairs and sports, the House impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump continues today with the testimony of another key witness – or at least that’s the plan.

Charles Kupperman, the former official who served as John Bolton’s deputy at the national security council, was subpoenaed to talk to House investigators this morning about Trump’s alleged efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and the 2016 election.

However, Kupperman filed a lawsuit on Friday seeking a judge’s ruling on whether he should comply with the congressional subpoena or the White House’s order to ignore the investigation because it is supposedly illegitimate.

It’s not yet clear whether Kupperman will arrive for his testimony, but House investigators sent him a letter Saturday warning that their subpoena “remains in full force” and that his potential absence “will constitute evidence that may be used against him in a contempt proceeding”.

But the House Democrats leading the inquiry may soon not even need Kupperman’s testimony. Reports emerged last week that Bolton is in talks to sit for a deposition with the committees leading the inquiry, and the former national security adviser may have even more insight into the Ukraine controversy than Kupperman does.

In an interview yesterday, Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House intelligence committee, called Bolton “a very important witness” but warned that the White House would likely try to block his appearance before the panels.

Schiff added: “Obviously he has very relevant information, and we do want him to come in and testify.”

Kamala Harris speaks during a rally in Aiken, S.C.
Kamala Harris speaks during a rally in Aiken, S.C. Photograph: Michael Holahan/AP

Here’s what else the blog is keeping its eye on:

  • Trump is traveling to Chicago for a speech at the annual conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and fundraising events. He will fly back to Washington in time for the White House’s Halloween Party.
  • Mike Pence is speaking in Louisiana.
  • Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is appearing on “Late Night” with Seth Meyers.

The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.

Updated

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The Independent UK
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Waking up to a coughing child with a fever triggers an immediate focus on their health. You naturally keep them home to recover and shield their classmates from germs. However, those recovery days accumulate quickly. Soon, a letter arrives in the mail that feels more like a legal threat than…
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