Senator Chris Van Hollen launched paperwork on Thursday exhibiting that the White Home finally declined to reply to a watchdog’s request for partic
When a federal watchdog pressed the administration for particulars on the choice to withhold safety help to Ukraine, the White Home finally declined to reply, in response to paperwork launched on Thursday by Senator Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland. The administration as an alternative pointed to a authorized memo from the Workplace of Administration and Funds that asserted the maintain was “applicable” in order to keep away from “battle with the president’s overseas coverage.”
Brian Miller, a senior affiliate counsel to the president, responding to the request, wrote, “The White Home doesn’t plan to reply individually to your letters.” The Protection Division additionally declined to reply to the watchdog, the Authorities Accountability Workplace, saying that it wanted “prior coordination with the opposite businesses concerned.”
The watchdog discovered final week that the funds workplace violated the regulation when it withheld almost $400 million over the summer time for “a coverage cause.”
Sketches on Thursday by the courtroom artist Artwork Lien seize a number of stressed senators throughout the displays by Home managers. However Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — two average Republicans who’ve signaled they may be open to calling witnesses — gave the impression to be carefully following the arguments.
See all of Mr. Lien’s drawings from Mr. Trump’s trial here.
As senators filed again into the chamber to renew opening arguments after a quick dinner break, Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, informed reporters he would resist calls from conservatives subsequent week to attempt to name the whistle-blower and the Bidens to testify on the trial.
“There’ll be numerous strain on me to name the whistle-blower, to name Schiff, to name Hunter Biden and Joe Biden,” Mr. Graham mentioned. “I’m not going to present in to that strain, as a result of I don’t assume it’s going to serve the Senate and the nation properly, there’s methods to do that outdoors of this trial.”
The president was “having the response {that a} regular particular person would have in the event that they thought they had been being accused of one thing they didn’t do,” Mr. Graham mentioned, including that the expertise was “very emotional.”
And he rapidly shot down the concept that Mr. Trump ought to attend the trial, a risk the president floated this week. “In case you’re listening,” Mr. Graham mentioned, “don’t come.”
The Senate impeachment trial has taken a 30-minute dinner break, giving senators an opportunity to eat, use the restroom and do what they do finest — run to the cameras and speak to reporters.
The presentation by the Home managers will resume when the break is over. (That may very well be longer than 30 minutes, since lawmakers not often stick with schedule.) It’s unclear how for much longer the displays will go, however a number of hours extra is an effective guess.
Mark it down: The primary joke of President Trump’s impeachment trial came about simply earlier than 6 p.m. on Thursday. Consultant Hakeem Jeffries of New York, one of many Home managers, strode as much as the lectern and in somber tones thanked the chief justice, the senators and the White Home attorneys. Then he informed a narrative about operating right into a fellow New Yorker who requested if he had heard the most recent outrage. Mr. Jeffries informed the senators that he assumed Mr. Trump, again on the town after a visit abroad, had once more carried out one thing outrageous.
“Somebody voted towards Derek Jeter on his Corridor of Fame poll,” Mr. Jeffries mentioned the buddy informed him, referring to the Yankees shortstop. A number of senators within the chamber chuckled.
“I perceive that, as Home managers, actually we hope we are able to subpoena John Bolton, subpoena Mick Mulvaney,” Mr. Jeffries went on. “However maybe we are able to all agree — subpoena the Baseball Corridor of Fame to attempt to determine who out of 397 people, one particular person, goes towards Derek Jeter.” There have been extra chuckles, together with from Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina.
After the joke, Mr. Jeffries moved to the extra severe problems with the day, specializing in the president’s efforts to strain Ukraine for investigations by withholding a White Home assembly.
The video cameras in the Senate chamber have been virtually solely centered on one place throughout the impeachment trial — a small space on the entrance of the room the place the chief…