1/ Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told House Democrats that the five State Department officials scheduled depositions before the committees conducting the impeachment inquiry would not appear. Pompeo characterized efforts to depose officials as "an attempt to intimidate, bully, and treat improperly, the distinguished professionals of the Department of State." Chairmen of the Foreign Affairs, Intelligence and Oversight committees responded to Pompeo, saying that "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." Four of the five officials scheduled to be deposed over the next two weeks – Ambassador Marie "Masha" Yovanovitch, Ambassador Kurt Volker, Counselor T. Ulrich Brechbuhl and Ambassador Gordon Sondland – were mentioned in the whistleblower complaint. (Washington Post / New York Times / CNN / Politico / Wall Street Journal / NBC News / Axios)
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/10/01/day-985/