A federal judge has scheduled a hearing for Monday on Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney's request to join a pending lawsuit naming President Trump and congressional leaders as defendants, Politico reports.
Why it matters: Mulvaney asked late Friday to join former Deputy National Security Adviser Charles Kupperman's suit after he failed to comply with a subpoena ordering his testimony before the House committees investigating Trump and Ukraine.
- In a court filing, lawyers for Mulvaney compared his situation to that of Kupperman's, who requested that a judge determine whether he should comply with the subpoena or a White House order blocking him from testifying, as they sought clarity over whether their client should testify in the impeachment inquiry.
The big picture: Per Axios' Alayna Treene, several current and former Trump administration officials have "told House investigators that Mulvaney carried out Trump’s directive to suspend $400 million in security assistance to Ukraine."
- Mulvaney's outside counsel said Friday that he "had been directed by the White House not to comply with the duly authorized subpoena and asserted 'absolute immunity,'" according to a House official working on the impeachment inquiry.
Between the lines: Chris Whipple, author "The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency," told the New York Times Mulvaney's filing was "symptomatic of a White House that is more dysfunctional than ever — except now it’s not just chaos, the long knives are coming out."
- "Given that Mulvaney has been willing to do almost anything for Trump, it’s remarkable that he’s asking for a second opinion," he told the NYT.
Read Mulvaney's court filing:
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