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Kari Paul in San Francisco (now) and Joan E Greve in Washington (earlier)

Confusion over letter from US military signaling withdrawal of troops from Iraq – as it happened

US troops in Baghdad, Iraq.
US troops in Baghdad, Iraq, in 2003. Photograph: Ali Haider/EPA

Live political reporting continues in Tuesday’s blog:

Summary of the evening

Kari Paul here, logging off for the night. Here are today’s top events to make note of:

  • Republican Congressman Paul Gosar of Arizona tweeted out a photoshopped image of president Barack Obama shaking hands with Hassan Rouhani that was quickly debunked as fake.
  • A memo was apparently mistakenly released implying potential withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. Officials said the letter had been sent in error, drawing confusion.
  • The Trump administration has reportedly blocked an Iranian diplomat from addressing the UN this month

Updated

Pete Buttigieg is heading back to Iowa on Jan. 12 to do more campaigning ahead of the upcoming caucus there, his team announced on Monday.

According to the announcement, Buttigieg has now visited Iowa 21 times, with visits to 49 counties to hold 100 events across the state.

Donald Trump will hold a rally in Wildwood, New Jersey on Jan. 28, his campaign announced Monday.

Wildwood is in the district of Rep. Jeff Van Drew, who left the Democratic Party to join Trump in the GOP late last year.

Republican congressman Paul Gosar of Arizona tweeted out a photoshopped image of former president Barack Obama and Iranian president Hassan Rouhani that was quickly debunked.

“The world is a better place without these guys in power,” the caption Gosar tweeted to accompany the fake photo said.

Obama and Rouhani reportedly never met in person, and Rouhani is also still in power. The two did speak by phone in September 2013, a landmark moment reflecting the highest level of contact between a US and Iranian president in 30 years.

As of the time of publishing this post, the inaccurate tweet is still live on Gosar’s account.

Updated

Donald Trump’s son Donald Trump, Jr. posted an image on Sunday of himself holding an AR-15 style rifle with an image of former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on its magazine.

In response to some backlash online, a spokesperson for Trump Jr. gave the following statement to The Hill:

“Instagram post was strictly about him using a famous meme to mock Hillary Clinton, as he and many others have done on numerous occasions and will surely do again in the future, so long as it continues triggering humorless liberals”.

The image appears to be a reference to the phrase “lock her up”, which has frequently been chanted at Trump campaign rallies. The creator of the magazine said the company has seen an uptick in business in response to the photo.

Confusion surrounds memo indicating potential withdrawal of US troops from Iraq

The future of the US presence in Iraq is in question after a military memo seemed to indicate a potential withdrawal of American troops from the country.

The memo stated troops would begin “onward movement” from Iraq. However, secretary of defense Mark Esper said the memo was inaccurate “There’s been no decision whatsoever to leave Iraq.”

The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, General Mark Milley, said the letter had been sent in error.

The back-and-forth began as the Trump administration scrambled to respond to Iraqi demands for the troops to leave after last week’s assassination in Baghdad of Iran’s top general, Qassem Suleimani.

Allies to the US are responding in kind, with British officials are now pointing to Esper’s clarification, describing the original letter from the US-led coalition circulating in Iraq as “very unclear” and “not what it seems” without giving further details.

For more information, read our latest report.

Mitt Romney said he would “like to hear” from John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, but stopped short of saying he would subpoena him.

Bolton previously said he would testify in a Senate impeachment trial if he were subpoenaed, but a majority of the Republican-controlled Senate would have to approve a subpoena.

The Trump administration made a move Monday to block Iran’s top diplomat from addressing the UN security council, Foreign Policy reports.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has been blocked from obtaining a visa to attend a Jan. 9 Security Council meeting on the importance of upholding the UN Charter, sources told Foreign Policy.

The block violates the terms of a 1947 headquarters agreement requiring Washington to permit foreign officials into the country to conduct UN business and marks another escalation in the continued tension between the US and Iran.

Hello, Kari Paul on the West Coast here, taking over the blog for the next few hours. Stay tuned for updates.

Evening summary

That’s it from me today. I’m handing the blog off to my west coast colleague, Kari Paul, for the next few hours.

Here’s where the day stands so far:

  • A memo from the US military seemed to indicate a potential withdrawal of American troops from Iraq, but secretary of defense Mark Esper then said the memo was inaccurate. “There’s been no decision whatsoever to leave Iraq,” Esper said.
  • John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, said he would testify in a Senate impeachment trial if he were subpoenaed, but a majority of the Republican-controlled Senate would have to approve a subpoena.
  • Democratic congressional leaders, including Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, called on Republicans to support a Bolton subpoena, arguing any other course of action would constitute a “cover-up.”
  • Bolton’s statement could delay the transmission of the articles of impeachment to the Senate, which previously seemed likely to occur this week.

Kari will have more coming up, so stay tuned.

Secretary of defense Mark Esper said the letter indicating a potential US troop withdrawal from Iraq is “inconsistent” with the Pentagon’s current position.

Esper says Iraq withdrawal memo is not accurate

Secretary of defense Mark Esper has now said the memo on US troops’ “onward movement” from Iraq is not accurate. “There’s been no decision whatsoever to leave Iraq,” Esper said.

It appears US troops in Iraq are being moved out of a base in the Green Zone and relocated to other bases across the country after the Iraqi parliament voted to expel the American troops.

Letter from US military indicates withdrawal of troops from Iraq

The US military has sent a letter to the Iraqi military announcing the “onward movement” of American forces after the Iraqi parliament voted to expel the troops, indicating a withdrawal.

It’s unclear whether the letter indicates a full or partial withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, but the military has confirmed its authenticity, dispelling previous claims that it was fake.

Updated

Republican senator Josh Hawley has introduced his resolution to update Senate rules to allow for the dismissal of the impeachment charges against Trump.

The measure would allow senators to dismiss the charges if the House does not transmit the articles of impeachment within 25 calendar days.

That date would fall next week, but again, it’s unclear whether Hawley’s proposal will gain any momentum in the Senate.

Trump called in to conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh’s show to criticize House Democrats’ handling of impeachment and defend the US drone strike that killed Iranian general Qassem Suleimani.

The president also seemed to brush off concerns about John Bolton testifying to the Senate after his former national security adviser said he would do so if he receives a subpoena.

At least one Republican senator, Marco Rubio of Florida, has said he would not support issuing a subpoena to John Bolton, arguing the Senate impeachment trial should be based on the existing evidence gathered by the House.

Another Senate Republican, John Cornyn of Texas, indicated he would not necessarily be opposed to calling Bolton to testify, but he predicted the former national security adviser would actually help Trump’s case during the trial.

The Democratic-controlled House sought Bolton’s testimony, but the committee chairs leading the impeachment inquiry chose not to subpoena him after the former official made clear he would join a lawsuit seeking a judge’s ruling on whether to comply with a congressional subpoena or White House guidance not to cooperate with the investigation.

Americans narrowly approve of Suleimani strike, poll finds

Americans narrowly approve of the US drone strike that killed Iranian general Qassem Suleimani last week, according to a new poll.

The HuffPost/YouGov survey found that 43% of Americans agree with Trump’s decision to order the strike, compared to 38% who disapprove.

But Americans narrowly disapprove of Trump’s handling of the strike. According to the poll, 43% of Americans say the president did not plan well enough before the strike, compared to 35% who say he did.

Respondents also said, 44% to 34%, that Trump should have received congressional approval before ordering the strike.

And perhaps most worryingly for the president, 47% of Americans think Trump does not have a clear strategy for dealing with Iran, compared to 32% who say he does.

Senator Doug Jones, a Democrat facing a difficult reelection race in Alabama this year, said in a tweet that he supported calling John Bolton to testify in the impeachment trial.

In order to issue a subpoena to Trump’s former national security adviser, minority leader Chuck Schumer would need every Senate Democrat and four Senate Republicans to sign on to the request, so he will need to win over some moderate Democratic senators who have previously seemed hesitant on impeachment.

Transmission of articles of impeachment likely to be delayed

With the news of John Bolton’s willingness to testify, it appears probable that Nancy Pelosi will further delay transmitting the articles of impeachment to the Senate, although one of her aides said the House speaker had not decided on a timeline.

Before Bolton released his statement, most Capitol Hill reporters were predicting Pelosi would transmit the articles at some point this week, but that no longer seems likely.

John Bolton’s willigness to testfiy in the impeachment trial if subpoenaed could give Democrats more leverage over the parameters of the Senate proceedings, after it seemed House speaker Nancy Pelosi would have to trasmit the articles without any agreement on witnesses.

House speaker Nancy Pelosi has issued a statement about John Bolton’s willingness to testify in a Senate impeachment trial, echoing Chuck Schumer’s argument that Republicans would be enabling a “cover-up” if they did not call Trump’s former national security adviser to testify.

Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House intelligence committee, similarly said the Senate should call Bolton and other White House officials, including acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, to testify.

House Democrats previously tried to get Bolton to testify during their impeachment hearings, but they backed off from a potential subpoena after the former official signaled he would join a lawsuit seeking a judge’s ruling on whether to comply with a congressional subpoena or the White House guidance not to cooperate with the investigation.

Chuck Schumer is out with a statement about John Bolton’s willingness to testify in the impeachment trial if subpoenaed by the Senate, heralding what he calls “momentum for uncovering the truth in a Senate trial” and adding:

Given that Mr Bolton’s lawyers have stated he has new relevant information to share, if any Senate Republicans oppose issuing subpoenas to the four witnesses and documents we have requested they would be absolutely clear they are participating in a coverup.

Chuck Schumer
Chuck Schumer Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Schumer also mentions, again, the need for four Republicans to support bringing Bolton and the other witnesses Democrats want into the Senate trial.

The other witnesses Democrats want for Trump’s impeachment trial are acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, Michael Duffey, associate director of national security programs at the Office of Management and Budget, and Robert Blair, assistant to the president and senior adviser to Mulvaney.

Here’s our report from the day Mulvaney admitted there was a quid pro quo for military aid to Ukraine and memorably told reporters to “get over it”:

Choice quote: “But that’s it. That’s why we held up the money … I have news for everybody. Get over it. There is going to be political influence in foreign policy. Elections have consequences.”

And here’s part of his statement issued later the same day: “Let me be clear, there was absolutely no quid pro quo between Ukrainian military aid and any investigation into the 2016 election.”

Afternoon summary

Here’s where the day stands so far:

  • John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, said he would testify in the impeachment trial if he were subpoenaed by the Senate, but issuing a subpoena would require a majority level of support in the Republican-controlled chamber.
  • Trump insisted Iran “WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON” as fears mount about fallout from the killing of Iranian general Qassem Suleimani.
  • Former Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro endorsed Elizabeth Warren’s White House bid, just days after suspending his own campaign.

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

Updated

Following the news of John Bolton’s willingness to testify in a Senate impeachment trial, a senior House Democratic aide touted speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to delay the transmission of the articles of impeachment to the Senate.

Some Republicans have criticized Pelosi for delaying the articles’ transmission, arguing it disproves Democrats’ claims that they needed to advance the inquiry quickly because of the “urgent” nature of the accusations stemming from the Ukraine controversy.

John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, reportedly gave Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell advance notice about his statement saying he would testify in an impeachment trial if subpoenaed.

It appears John Bolton is currently dodging questions about whether he would comply with a House subpoena seeking his testimony related to the Ukraine controversy.

Trump’s former national security adviser said he would testify in the Senate impeachment trial if subpoenaed, but it’s unclear whether Democratic minority leader Chuck Schumer can attract enough Republican support to get a subpoena approved.

Updated

After John Bolton issued a statement saying he would testify in the impeachment trial if the Senate issues a subpoena, some commentators wondered if Trump’s former national security adviser would similarly comply with a subpoena from the Democratic-controlled House.

The House previously sought Bolton’s testimony, but the former official did not appear before lawmakers at the time, citing an ongoing lawsuit seeking a judge’s ruling on whether to comply with a congressional subpoena or the White House guidance not to cooperate with the investigation.

Updated

It’s important to note that John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, is only saying he will testify if the Republican-controlled Senate issues a subpoena.

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer has called for a handful of Trump administration officials, including Bolton, to testify, but he would need four Republicans to sign on to his request to have it approved.

“I hope, pray, and believe there’s a decent chance that four Republicans will join us. If they do, we will have a fair trial,” Schumer said yesterday.

Bolton confirms he will testify if subpoenaed in impeachment trial

John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, has confirmed he intends to testify in the Senate impeachment trial if he is subpoenaed.

In a statement explaining his new position, Bolton noted that he previously joined a lawsuit seeking a judge’s ruling on whether to comply with a congressional subpoena or the White House’s guidance not to cooperate with the House impeachment inquiry.

“The House has concluded its Constitutional responsibility by adopting Articles of Impeachment related to the Ukraine matter. It now falls to the Senate to fulfill its Constitutional obligation to try impeachments, and it does not appear possible that a final judicial resolution of the still-unanswered Constitutional questions can be obtained before the Senate acts,” Bolton said in the statement.

“Accordingly, since my testimony is once again at issue, I have had to resolve the serious competing issues as best I could, based on careful consideration and study. I have concluded that, if the Senate issues a subpoena for my testimony, I am prepared to testify.”

John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, has reportedly said he would testify in a Senate impeachment trial if he were subpoenaed.

Bolton is one of four Trump administration officials that Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer listed as potential witnesses for the trial, but it’s unclear whether enough Republicans will sign on to Schumer’s request to get it approved.

Bolton reportedly criticized other administration officials, including acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and US ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland, for getting involved in efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden.

Updated

The department of defense and the state department reportedly plan to brief members of Congress Wednesday on the drone strike that killed Iranian general Qassem Suleimani.

After news of the strike broke, Democratic leaders in Congress complained that they were not given advance notice of the strike.

Even members of the “Gang of Eight,” the group of lawmakers who are supposed to be regularly briefed on classified intelligence matters, do not appear to have received information about the strike before it occurred.

Graham says he will oppose War Powers resolution

Senator Lindsey Graham, a close congressional ally of Trump’s, said he would oppose a War Powers resolution aimed at limiting the president’s military actions in Iran.

House speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a letter to colleagues yesterday that members would soon vote on a War Powers resolution, similar to the one proposed by Democratic senator Tim Kaine.

“Last week, the Trump administration conducted a provocative and disproportionate military airstrike targeting high-level Iranian military officials,” Pelosi wrote in the letter. “This action endangered our servicemembers, diplomats and others by risking a serious escalation of tensions with Iran.

“As members of Congress, our first responsibility is to keep the American people safe. For this reason, we are concerned that the administration took this action without the consultation of Congress and without respect for Congress’s war powers granted to it by the Constitution.”

The Constitution clearly gives Congress the power to declare war, which makes Graham’s comment about “535 Commanders in Chief” all the more curious.

Echoing comments he made Friday on the Senate floor, majority leader Mitch McConnell said senators would “continue the ordinary business of the Senate” as they await the transmission of the articles of impeachment.

It’s unclear when Nancy Pelosi will transmit the two articles of impeachment passed by the House last month, but many expect the speaker to do so later this week.

While campaigning in Iowa this weekend, former vice president Joe Biden once again falsely represented his past support for the Iraq War.

The former Delaware senator’s 2002 vote in favor of using force in Iraq has been back in the news this month, following the US drone strike that killed Iranian general Qassem Suleimani.

CNN reports:

Biden was responding Saturday to a voter in Des Moines, Iowa, who told him, ‘I’m with you 90% of the way’ but questioned his judgment in part because ‘you were for the second Gulf War, which was a mess.’

Biden said that ‘from the very moment’ President George W. Bush launched his ‘shock and awe’ military campaign, and ‘right after’ that occurred, ‘I opposed what he was doing, and spoke to him.’

It’s false that Biden opposed the war from the moment Bush started it in March 2003. Biden repeatedly spoke in favor of the war both before and after it began.

Republican senator Josh Hawley is expected to introduce a measure today aimed at dismissing the impeachment charges that the House has approved against Trump.

According to Axios, Hawley’s resolution “would allow the Senate to dismiss for lack of prosecution any articles of impeachment that the House of Representatives has delayed transmitting for 25 calendar days or more.”

But it’s worth noting that the Senate has been out of session since the House passed the articles of impeachment, and House speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to transmit the articles at some point this week.

Hawley’s resolution seems unlikely to gain momentum, but it underscores the possible political perils of House Democrats continuing to delay a Senate trial.

Trump claims Iran will 'never have a nuclear weapon'

Trump has just sent out another tweet, this one claiming that Iran will “never” have a nuclear wepon after the country’s top general was killed by a US drone strike.

In response to the Suleimani strike, Tehran announced yesterday that it would no longer limit itself to the restrictions of the 2015 nuclear deal, which the Trump administration had already been chipping away at by reimposing strict sanctions.

The announcement sparked concerns that Iran would race toward ramping up their nuclear development, but Tehran did not entirely abandon the deal.

In a statement, Iran said it would “continue to work with international nuclear agencies and will return to JCPOA limits once all sanctions are removed from the country.”

Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has announced she will appear alongside Julián Castro tomorrow, after her former primary opponent endorsed her White House bid.

The pair will host an event at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, New York, tomorrow evening. The event will come less than a week after Castro suspended his own presidential campaign.

Castro announced this morning that he was endorsing Warren. “Theres one candidate I see who’s unafraid to fight like hell to make sure America’s promise will be there for everyone,” Castro said in a new video. “Who will make sure that no matter where you live in America or where your family came from in the world, you have a path to opportunity too. That’s why I’m proud to endorse Elizabeth Warren for president.”

Trump says impeachment 'must end quickly'

Trump has again weighed in on the looming impeachment trial over Twitter, dismissing the controversy as a “con game” and calling for a rapid end to the matter.

House speaker Nancy Pelosi has not yet transmitted the aricles of impeachment to the Senate, but many expect her to do so this week. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has made clear the delay will not affect his handling of the trial.

Once the articles are transmitted, the Republican-controlled Senate will need to determine the parameters of the trial, which is expected to end in the president’s acquittal.

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer has been demanding that White House advisers testify during the trial, but that request will not be approved unless he can get four Republican senators to sign on to it.

Castro endroses Warren in Democratic presidential primary

Julián Castro, the former Democratic presidential candidate who ended his White House bid last week, announced he is endorsing Elizabeth Warren in the race.

A newly released video showed Castro and Warren having a conversation at the Massachusetts senator’s home, alongside her golden retriever Bailey.

Warren applauded Castro for the way he ran his campaign, and he in turn said his bid was driven by the “same vision that I see in you and your campaign.” “Nobody is working harder than you are,” Castro told Warren.

Judge Judy Sheindlin, the star of the popular daytime court show “Judge Judy,” has announced she is endorsing Michael Bloomberg in the Democratic presidential primary.

“I like to say you can judge someone’s character by what they’ve done. Mike Bloomberg has done amazing things and will be a truly great president,” Sheindlin says in a new video released by the billionaire candidate’s campaign. “No one comes close to Mike Bloomberg’s executive achievement, government experience, and impactful philanthropy.”

The former New York mayor will run the ad, which is titled “Judge Him,” across 26 states. Bloomberg has already spent more than $100 million on advertising, and that figure is expected to increase to between $300 million and $400 million by the time Super Tuesday states vote in early March.

Senate resumes work as impeachment trial remains in limbo

Good morning, live blog readers!

Members of Congress have returned to Washington to resume work, but the impeachment of Donald Trump remains stalled, as House speaker Nancy Pelosi has still not transmitted the articles of impeachment to the Senate.

Pelosi has delayed transmitting the articles in the hope of gaining leverage over the procedures adopted for the trial, but Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has shown no sign of allowing the strategy to affect his approach to impeachment.

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer has been trying to pressure McConnell to call White House advisers to testify during the trial, but the New York Democrat would need four Republican senators to join his cause to have that request approved.

“I hope, pray, and believe there’s a decent chance that four Republicans will join us. If they do, we will have a fair trial,” Schumer said yesterday.

Pelosi could transmit the articles as soon as tomorrow, but it remains entirely unclear whether she will. Until then, Democrats and Republicans will continue to clash over a trial that currently lacks a timeline.

Senator Josh Hawley questions Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz.
Senator Josh Hawley questions Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz. Photograph: Samuel Corum/Getty Images

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

  • Trump will participate in a credentialing ceremony for newly appointed ambassadors to Washington and have lunch with the vice president.
  • Republican senator Josh Hawley is expected to introduce a resolution to dismiss the impeachment charges against Trump, but that seems unlikely to gain momentum.
  • Progressive groups will hold a Washington protest calling for Trump’s removal from office at 12 p.m. ET.

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

Updated

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